A fresh $200 million US endeavor endorsed by the Bezos Earth Fund and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Re:wild aims to aid in the revival of 100 endangered species, such as pink iguanas, lemurs, wild pigs, and pangolins. The Phoenix Species Project is set to offer ongoing financial support for breeding programs, habitat restoration, and community-led conservation efforts. This initiative also sparks a critical query: Can philanthropy supported by billionaires contribute to environmental preservation and enhance donors’ eco-friendly image, despite the environmental impacts of the companies that brought them wealth?
The pressing issue gains significance as governments scale back commitments to climate and biodiversity, leaving private donors to bridge the void. The Bezos Earth Fund has allocated $100 million US to the project, with Re:wild and other collaborators completing the funding pool.
Jeff Bezos, the founder and executive chair of Amazon, established the fund. Amazon has faced backlash concerning plastic pollution, deforestation, and excessive water consumption by its data centers. Wren Montgomery, a researcher at the Greenwash Action Lab and a sustainability professor at Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business, defines greenwashing as companies presenting an overly positive portrayal of their environmental practices.
After scrutinizing the project’s website, Montgomery raised concerns about selective disclosure, where positive initiatives are highlighted while negative activities elsewhere are downplayed. She emphasized the importance of evaluating the overall impact, expressing that even if positive actions are taken, concealing detrimental practices could still be deemed as greenwashing.
Montgomery criticized Bezos’s contribution as minuscule compared to Amazon’s environmental footprint, stressing the necessity for governments and corporations to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change. The Bezos Earth Fund declined to address queries regarding greenwashing, opting instead to share a statement from Cristián Samper, the fund’s managing director and leader for nature solutions.
Samper noted that the selected species were based on the readiness of local partners to execute recovery efforts. This initiative aligns with the fund’s $10 billion US commitment to addressing climate and biodiversity crises, with updates on progress, setbacks, and insights set to be transparently shared through an online dashboard.
Dax Dasilva, a Montreal entrepreneur and environmentalist, is a partner in the project. Dasilva established the environmental non-profit Age of Union in 2021 with a $40 million investment aimed at safeguarding ecosystems and species. During a visit to Madagascar with Re:wild, Dasilva encountered unique species like indri and golden-crowned sifaka lemurs.
Dasilva emphasized the tangible impact of the project, asserting its transformative potential. He highlighted the historical reliance on modest budgets for conservation work, underscoring the Phoenix funding’s support for various conservation activities.
Chris Johnson, a professor at the University of Northern British Columbia specializing in large terrestrial mammal conservation, though not directly involved in the project, hopes it will draw attention to the global biodiversity crisis. Johnson welcomed genuine efforts from any sector or individual dedicated to biodiversity conservation.
While the Phoenix Species Project targets 100 species, just a fraction of those listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, Johnson appreciates the initiative’s inclusion of a diverse range of species beyond the commonly publicized charismatic animals.
Private funding can swiftly bolster overlooked local conservation work, but critics stress that it should not supplant environmental regulations, habitat protections, public funding sustainability, or corporate responsibility. The project’s intentions may invite debate, but its outcomes, including species recovery, habitat enhancement, and sustained community backing, offer tangible metrics for evaluation.
