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$200 million pledged for threatened species recovery

WBUR
Published August 12, 2026 at 12:03 PM EDT
Clouded leopard cubs play in their enclosure at the Mulhouse Zoo, eastern France, on June 3, 2020. Re:Wild has programs to reduce threats, protect, and restore 10 species of small cats, including the clouded leopard. (Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)
Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images
Clouded leopard cubs play in their enclosure at the Mulhouse Zoo, eastern France, on June 3, 2020. Re:Wild has programs to reduce threats, protect, and restore 10 species of small cats, including the clouded leopard. (Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)

A new conservation fund has pledged $200 million to pull 100 threatened animals and plants back from the brink of extinction. Among the largest philanthropic endowments of its kind, the Phoenix Species Project promises sustained support for dozens of localized efforts tailored to the needs of each species.

The project is a collaboration between the Bezos Earth Fund, a private foundation created by billionaire Jeff Bezos, and Re:wild, a nonprofit co-founded by actor Leonardo DiCaprio and biologist Wes Sechrest.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with Sechrest about why biodiversity matters in the fight against human-driven climate change.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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