A venture backed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos is aiming to save 100 global species that are on the brink of extinction.<\/p>\n
The Phoenix Species Project, launched on Tuesday, is a collaboration between Bezos\u2019s Earth Fund and Re:wild, a conservation nonprofit co-founded by DiCaprio and biologist Wes Sechrest. Each organization will contribute $100 million toward the project, which aims to support recovery efforts for 100 critically endangered species<\/a> across the globe.<\/p>\n To that end, the Phoenix Species Project plans to enlist more than 100 local and international partners, such as conservationists, local communities, governments and Indigenous groups. Depending on the species, the money may fund breeding programs, translocation efforts, disease management, invasive species control and other strategies<\/a> that could keep the targeted animals from being wiped off Earth.<\/p>\n On supporting science journalism<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing<\/a>. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n Included on the list are reptiles, birds, mammals, fish, sharks and rays, amphibians, invertebrates and plants (including an African dwarf succulent called the fuzzy belly button<\/a>). The selected species range across 30 countries located on five continents and include several that are already extinct in the wild, such as the Hawaiian Crow, Guam Kingfisher and Charco Azul pupfish.<\/p>\n \u201cKids fall in love with animals before anyone tells them those animals are disappearing,\u201d said Lauren S\u00e1nchez Bezos, vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, in a statement<\/a>. \u201cAsk any seven-year-old about their favorite creature. It\u2019s something wild. Something most adults have never heard of. What do we tell them when the night parrot or the golden-crowned sifaka isn\u2019t there anymore to fall in love with? This project is our answer.\u201d<\/p>\n The fund has launched just weeks after the Trump administration announced a major rollback<\/a> of the Endangered Species Act. Under the changes, potential economic and national security costs will be weighed against potentially designating an area as a \u201ccritical habitat\u201d for an endangered species. A location can also lose its critical habitat status if the administration decides the local endangered species won\u2019t go extinct as a result.<\/p>\n The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service currently has 1,515 animals on its endangered and threatened species list<\/a>.<\/p>\n The International Union for Conservation of Nature currently classifies more than 4,000 animals as critically endangered, a nearly fivefold increase since 2000. Another 7,252 are listed as endangered, and 7,234 are listed as vulnerable.<\/p>\n It\u2019s Time to Stand Up for Science<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, I\u2019d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.<\/p>\n If you subscribe to Scientific American<\/a>, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.<\/p>\n In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts<\/a>, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters<\/a>, must-watch videos, challenging games<\/a>, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. 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