$200 million invested to save 100 species from extinction
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund will provide $200 million to support recovery projects for 100 species facing critical danger of extinction or already extinct in the wild. The Phoenix Species Project will distribute between $500,000 and $1 million to each species over five years, with the specific amounts determined as proposals are reviewed.
The organizations selected 100 species from 30 countries for the initiative.
Seven species have already begun receiving funds, including the golden-crowned sifaka, a lemur from Madagascar, and the night parrot, a rare bird living in the Australian desert. Five of the chosen species are native to Brazil. These include the northern muriqui, the largest primate in the Americas, with fewer than 1,000 individuals remaining.
Also receiving support are two birds, the plateau dove and the sharp-tailed tyrant, and two amphibians, the restinga toad and the painted stream frog, all with extremely limited ranges within Brazil. Conservation scientist Leah Gerber of Arizona State University explained that restoring a species can benefit the broader ecological community, though the extent of these benefits varies depending on the specific context.
The IUCN has assessed the extinction risk of less than 5% of all known species, finding over 31,000 are considered extinct in the wild, critically endangered, or endangered.
