{"id":35639,"date":"2026-08-12T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecoticias.com\/en\/?p=35639"},"modified":"2026-08-12T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T21:00:00","slug":"leonardo-dicaprio-and-others-fund-a-usd-200-million-project-to-recover-100-species-on-the-brink-of-extinction-a-genetic-rescue-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/leonardo-dicaprio-and-others-fund-a-usd-200-million-project-to-recover-100-species-on-the-brink-of-extinction-a-genetic-rescue-plan\/35639\/","title":{"rendered":"Leonardo DiCaprio and others fund a USD 200 million project to recover 100 species on the brink of extinction, a genetic rescue plan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A lemur leaping through Madagascar\u2019s dry forests, a salamander hiding in a North Carolina cliff and a Mexican fish already gone from the wild now share the same lifeline. The Phoenix Species Project launched on Aug. 4 with a $200 million commitment to recover 100 species classified as Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild across 30 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The famous names may draw attention, but the project\u2019s most important idea is less glamorous. Instead of another burst of short-term funding, Re:wild<\/a> and the Bezos Earth Fund are promising sustained support for locally led recovery work, with population gains and reductions in threats used to measure progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A rescue plan built for the long haul<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The launch commitment is split evenly, with $100 million from the Bezos Earth Fund and $100 million from Re:wild, supported by Leonardo DiCaprio, Age of Union and the Todd Graves Family Foundation. More than 100 local and international partners, including Indigenous Peoples, communities, scientists and governments, are expected to lead work tailored to each species and place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That work may include conservation breeding<\/a>, raising young animals before release, moving individuals to safer habitats, controlling disease and invasive species, and restoring damaged ecosystems. The initiative grew from a 2021 meeting involving DiCaprio, Re:wild chief executive Wes Sechrest, Jeff Bezos and Lauren S\u00e1nchez Bezos, followed by years of consultation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Visayan
The Visayan warty pig is among the threatened species selected for recovery efforts through the Phoenix Species Project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Phoenix 100 reach beyond famous wildlife<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are rhinos and orangutans on the list, but also plants<\/a>, frogs, fish, birds, reptiles, invertebrates and small mammals that rarely make the evening news. The official portfolio stretches from oceans and freshwater lakes to tropical forests and volcanic plains, a reminder that extinction does not choose one kind of animal or one corner of the map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the selected species are the Visayan warty pig from the Philippines, the Malayan pangolin, Tanzania\u2019s pancake tortoise, the pink iguana of the Gal\u00e1pagos<\/a> and Attenborough\u2019s long-beaked echidna from New Guinea. The list also includes the Charco Azul pupfish, which survives through conservation breeding after its only natural spring dried up in Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Madagascar\u2019s sifaka shows what is at stake<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Roughly 10,000 golden-crowned sifakas<\/a> are estimated to remain, and the project says the population has fallen by at least 80% since the 1980s. These lemurs disperse seeds from more than 40 tree species, which means helping them recover could also help fragmented forests regenerate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Association Fanamby plans to restore and reconnect habitat in Madagascar\u2019s Loky-Manambato region while working with communities<\/a> on fire detection, logging prevention and ecotourism. Its executive director, Tiana Andriamanana, put the change plainly when she said, \u201cThis funding, this global platform and technical support change what is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A rare American salamander gets a path back<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander<\/a> was recognized as a distinct species only in 2019 and is estimated to number about 500. Surveys cited by the project indicate a decline of around 56% in two decades, while Hurricane Helene\u2019s 2024 floods and landslides damaged several of its few known habitats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recovery plan aims to expand the population in human care and release up to 200 salamanders within five years. It also calls for protecting nests, replanting native vegetation to reduce landslide risks and reaching conservation agreements with communities in Rutherford and Henderson counties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evidence says conservation can work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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