DiCaprio's Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund are leading the Phoenix Species Project, the groups announced Tuesday. They call it the largest single fund in history dedicated exclusively to recovering critically endangered species.
DiCaprio has for years been developing the idea of a major concerted effort to help species whose habitats and future existence are threatened by climate change.
In 2021, he and Re:wild co-founder Wes Sechrest, a biologist who serves as the organization's CEO, met with the Amazon-founding mega billionaire Bezos and his wife, former TV news reporter and host Lauren Sánchez Bezos. He serves as chair and she as vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund.
Jeff Bezos (L) appears at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026, Lauren Sanchez Bezos (C) appears at Chanel's 16th Annual Pre-Oscar Awards Dinner in Beverly Hills, Calif., on March 1, 2025, and Leonardo DiCaprio appears at the Oscars in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026. Photos by AP
The meeting led to a series of conversations with local governments, environmental groups and Indigenous people on how best to reverse the decline of their most vulnerable species. Those conversations eventually led to the Phoenix Species Project.
