Overview
- The Phoenix Species Project was launched on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, with an initial $200 million commitment split evenly between the Bezos Earth Fund and Re:wild to support recovery work over multiple years.
- Project leaders published a ‘Phoenix 100’ list spanning roughly 30 countries that includes mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, invertebrates and at least one plant.
- Planned actions include conservation breeding, habitat restoration, disease management and invasive-species control guided by technical advice from the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
- Funding will be directed to locally led partners, Indigenous groups, governments and scientists with public progress updates posted on the project’s website and social channels.
- Organizers frame the effort as a major philanthropic response to accelerating biodiversity loss that could enable species reintroductions for some taxa already extinct in the wild, such as the Hawaiian Crow and Guam Kingfisher.