Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez pledge $100M to global species-protection effort

Jeff Bezos pledged $100 million through the Bezos Earth Fund to support species recovery, the fund’s managing director said the gift is part of a new donor alliance targeting the world’s most threatened animals and plants.

The Bezos Earth Fund — co-chaired by Jeff Bezos and vice chair Lauren Sánchez Bezos — is one of nine founding members of the Species Recovery Alliance, which announced a coordinated commitment at the UN biodiversity meeting in Yerevan, Armenia, the fund told Fortune.

A lone field research tent at dawn beside restored wetland, an anonymous pair of boots outside the tent, equipment cases and a clipboard on a crate — a conservation project in progress

Fortune reported the Earth Fund will direct $100 million of a collective, multi-year effort focused on species listed as endangered, critically endangered, or extinct in the wild on the IUCN Red List, and that members will fund projects separately while coordinating grants and metrics.

The alliance was announced at COP17 on Oct. 16 and brings together nine private funders committing more than $500 million over five years to prevent extinctions and fund recovery actions, Rainforest Trust said in a statement describing the Species Recovery Alliance.

Close-up of hands holding an anonymous species recovery plan document, a pen and a pair of field binoculars on a wooden table — paperwork and tools for a conservation grant

The funding will support actions such as captive breeding, habitat restoration, disease management and invasive-species control, with progress measured using the IUCN Red List and the Green Status of Species, Fortune reported. The alliance builds on the Phoenix Species Project, a prior $200 million partnership between the Earth Fund and Re:wild aimed at recovering 100 species.

Bezos’s climate philanthropy has been active this year on multiple fronts; the Earth Fund has announced grants for urban parks, wildfire detection and ocean protection, and the fund told Fortune it has granted $2.4 billion to date from its $10 billion pledge. For context on Bezos’s philanthropic activity, see recent coverage of the Bezos Earth Fund funds CFDA Next Thread and commentary on how investors watch Amazon amid the founder’s broader activities in Amazon stock: what investors should watch.

Alliance spokespeople said they will not pool money into a single fund; instead each member will target grants to local partners and report on measurable recoveries. Rainforest Trust noted that more than 31,000 species are classified as endangered, critically endangered or extinct in the wild on the IUCN Red List, underscoring the scale of the need the alliance aims to address.

Experts and alliance leaders framed the pledge as private funding to fill gaps where government commitments fall short: Fortune cited Cristián Samper, the Bezos Earth Fund’s managing director, saying sustained funding is needed because “rebuilding a population can take years, and a break in support can put hard-won progress at risk.”

Sources

Fortune — reported the Bezos Earth Fund will contribute $100 million and described how members will allocate grants and measure progress.
Rainforest Trust — announced the Species Recovery Alliance, the nine founding members and the more-than-$500 million commitment made at COP17.

About the author, Chris Martin

Chris Martin is a US economics and current affairs journalist covering the intersection of policy, markets, and everyday financial life. With a background in financial reporting and a sharp eye for the stories behind the numbers, Chris brings clarity to some of the most complex issues shaping the American economy today. At ECIKS.org, Chris covers breaking developments across domestic economic policy, business strategy, Wall Street movements, and political decisions that ripple through financial markets. His reporting blends rigorous data analysis with accessible storytelling making critical information useful for investors, entrepreneurs, and engaged citizens alike.