Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos are teaming up on a $200 million initiative to help the planet’s most threatened species avoid extinction, but the project comes amid criticism of the Amazon founder's environmental footprint, which is marred by his company's logistics and data centers.
DiCaprio’s conservation organization Re:wild and Bezos’ Bezos Earth Fund announced the launch of the Phoenix Species Project on Aug. 4, which will support recovery efforts for 100 critically endangered species across 30 countries. The initiative spans animals and plants across a range of ecosystems, including oceans, forests, wetlands and volcanic landscapes.
Organizers describe the project as the largest single philanthropic initiative dedicated exclusively to
the recovery of critically endangered species. Half of the initial $200 million commitment will come from the Bezos Earth Fund, and the remaining $100 million will come from Re:wild with support from DiCaprio, Age of Union and the Todd Graves Family Foundation.
While the initiative adds to Bezos’ environmental philanthropy through the Bezos Earth Fund, his broader climate legacy has faced scrutiny. Amazon has drawn questions from investors and communities over the environmental impact of some of its operations, including energy and water use tied to data centers. According to Bloomberg reporting, Amazon has over 900 data centers in more than 50 countries.
Here's what to know about the new initiative spearheaded by DiCaprio and Bezos.
What is the Phoenix Species Project's objective?
Organizers said the project is designed to move beyond short-term conservation grants by providing sustained funding over multiple years, giving conservationists more time and resources to help species populations recover. The effort will provide five years of support for each species and track population recovery and reductions in threats over time.
Recovery efforts could include conservation breeding programs, moving species to safer habitats, managing diseases, controlling invasive species and restoring damaged ecosystems, according to the project.
The effort builds on DiCaprio’s longtime environmental advocacy. During his 2016 Academy Awards acceptance speech after winning Best Actor for “The Revenant,” DiCaprio used the global spotlight to call attention to climate change and urge people not to take the planet for granted.
“When we protect those species, we also protect the forests, wetlands, grasslands and oceans they depend on,” DiCaprio said in a statement Aug. 4. “The Phoenix Species Project has the potential to drastically shift how we approach conservation and combat the climate crisis at a global scale.”
In addition to collaborating with the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission, a global network of conservation scientists, the initiative will have more than 100 local and international partners, including Indigenous Peoples, local communities, scientists and conservation groups.
Species receiving support
Among the species targeted by the Phoenix Species Project are the golden-crowned sifaka, a lemur found in Madagascar; the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander, a rare tree-dwelling amphibian found only in a small canyon in North Carolina; and the Visayan warty pig, which is native to islands in the Philippines.
Other species include the Malayan pangolin, Mexico’s Cozumel harvest mouse, the pink land iguana of the Galápagos Islands, Tanzania’s pancake tortoise, Colombia’s starry night harlequin toad and Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna from New Guinea.
The project will also support lesser-known threatened species, including the bowmouth guitarfish, an ancient shark-like ray threatened by the global fin trade; the Charco Azul pupfish, which became extinct in the wild after its freshwater habitat disappeared in Mexico; and the night parrot, an elusive Australian bird once thought lost for nearly 150 years.
“The species on the brink of extinction are often the ones that anchor some of the world’s most important ecosystems,” DiCaprio said.
From early conversations to a global effort
The project has been years in the making. In 2021, DiCaprio and Re:wild co-founder Dr. Wes Sechrest met with Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, who serve as chair and vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, to discuss strategies for protecting endangered species and ecosystems.
Those discussions eventually led to the development of the Phoenix Species Project and expanded partnerships with conservation groups and communities around the world.
“Kids fall in love with animals before anyone tells them those animals are disappearing,” Sánchez Bezos said in a statement. “One hundred species, 30 countries and a real commitment to bringing them back. Not managing their decline. Recovering them.”
Re:wild, founded in 2021 by DiCaprio, Sechrest and conservation scientists, focuses on protecting biodiversity and restoring threatened habitats. The Bezos Earth Fund supports environmental solutions and conservation efforts worldwide.
Why are data centers controversial?
With Amazon having over 900 data centers, which have become increasingly controversial amid the rise of artificial intelligence, some may scoff at Bezos' and DiCaprio's initiative.
Data centers — large physical sites that house the technology required to maintain digital infrastructure, including generative AI models — have begun popping up across the country, receiving some pushback from several states. From inflating power costs for consumers to requiring mass amounts of water for cooling, data centers are frequently putting surrounding communities under significant strain.
Per Bloomberg, Amazon said its data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water worldwide last year, or about 5% of the amount metro Seattle consumes.
"Large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons per day, equivalent to the water use of a town populated by 10,000 to 50,000 people," according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. "With larger and new AI-focused data centers, water consumption is increasing alongside energy usage and carbon emissions."
In response to shareholders questioning the environmental impact of data centers, especially water usage, Josh Weissman, director of infra capacity delivery at Amazon, told Reuters it was "increasingly disclosing site-specific water consumption data where we operate." Amazon added that the company was committed to being a "good neighbor" and continues to invest in efficiency efforts, bringing new energy online and reducing its water use.
In addition to emissions and water consumption concerns, data centers, especially facilities requiring all-night lighting, can disrupt the natural circadian rhythms of animals, with light pollution hindering migration patterns, reproduction and feeding habits as well as confusing and disorienting a wide array of species, according to
In addition to emissions and water consumption concerns, data centers — especially those requiring all-night lighting — can disrupt the natural circadian rhythms of animals. According to Environmental Health Sciences, light pollution can hinder migration patterns, reproduction, and feeding habits, as well as confuse and disorient a wide array of species. Facilities that discharge heated water may also harm aquatic ecosystems by reducing oxygen levels and stressing fish and wildlife, the nonprofit states.
Contributing: Sarah Perkel/ USA TODAY Network
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com or on X @athompsonUSAT
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DiCaprio, Bezos launch $200M species initiative amid data center criticism
