Phoenix Species Project to Fund Global Wildlife Recovery in 30 Countries

The Bezos Earth Fund and Re:wild have launched the Phoenix Species Project, a $200 million initiative to fund the recovery of endangered species across 30 countries. Each of the two organizations is contributing $100 million to the project, according to reporting from Quartz.

The project focuses on species that are currently facing high extinction risks but have a viable path toward recovery through targeted conservation interventions. By providing substantial financial resources to 30 different nations, the initiative aims to stabilize populations of animals and plants that are critical to their respective ecosystems.

The $200 million total investment is split equally between the Bezos Earth Fund, the philanthropic organization founded by Jeff Bezos, and Re:wild, a conservation organization that focuses on protecting keystone species and wild places.

According to Quartz, the Phoenix Species Project will operate across a global footprint, targeting biodiversity hotspots in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe. The selection of the 30 countries is based on the presence of species that are considered “recoverable”—meaning they are critically endangered but can be brought back from the brink if specific threats are mitigated and habitats are restored.

The funding is designed to support a variety of recovery efforts, which typically include anti-poaching measures, habitat restoration, community-led conservation programs, and scientific monitoring. Because the project spans 30 different jurisdictions, the implementation will require coordination between international NGOs and national governments.

Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund have previously collaborated on biodiversity initiatives, but the Phoenix Species Project represents a specific shift toward “species-level” recovery. This approach prioritizes the survival of individual species that serve as umbrellas for their entire environment, where protecting one high-profile animal often results in the protection of thousands of other smaller species and the land they inhabit.

The project’s name, Phoenix, refers to the goal of “rising from the ashes” for species that have seen their populations collapse. The organizations intend for these funds to create scalable models of recovery that can be replicated in other regions facing similar biodiversity losses.