Bezos Earth Fund and Partners Pledge $500M for Species Recovery

More than $500 Million Pledged for Threatened Species Recovery at COP17

Nine private funding organizations have pledged more than $500 million over five years to rescue the world’s most threatened plants and animals, establishing the Species Recovery Alliance. Announced on Oct. 16 at the United Nations biodiversity summit, COP17, in Yerevan, Armenia, the initiative addresses concerns that efforts to expand protected areas were overshadowing the urgent needs of threatened species.

How the Species Recovery Alliance Operates

Rather than establishing a single pooled fund, the alliance coordinates investments and recovery projects through local conservation partners. The Bezos Earth Fund, Re:wild, Rainforest Trust, the Colossal Foundation, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Fondation Segré, the Franklinia Foundation, the Ayers Wild Cat Conservation Trust, and WildLives Earth make up the founding members. Each member aligns its individual grants with the others, sharing data and working directly with local groups on measurable recovery plans.

About a third of the $500 million total represents incremental, new money, according to Cristián Samper, managing director and leader of nature solutions at the Bezos Earth Fund. The alliance builds directly on the $200 million Phoenix Species Project launched by the Bezos Earth Fund and Re:wild in August to support the recovery of 100 critically endangered species across 30 countries.

The Scale of Global Biodiversity Decline

The philanthropic commitment responds to severe tracked declines in wildlife populations worldwide. WWF’s 2026 “Living Planet Report” documented a 73% average decline in monitored vertebrate wildlife populations between 1970 and 2022, with Africa experiencing an 80% drop. Furthermore, a new United Nations assessment reveals that fewer than half of established global biodiversity targets remain on track.

Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework requires urgent action to halt human-induced extinctions and assist threatened species in recovering. According to Cristián Samper, setting up protected areas alone is insufficient because research shows that 57% of threatened species require active, targeted interventions. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists more than 31,000 species as extinct in the wild, endangered, or critically endangered, with over 10,000 in the critically endangered tier and more than 10% of those retaining fewer than 50 living individuals.

Measuring Success and Financial Realities

Alliance members will measure progress against the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the Green Status of Species. Success criteria require actual population recoveries, though Samper acknowledged that results for slow-breeding species could take decades and that some species may still be lost.

While philanthropy plays a catalytic role, public financing and domestic resources must ultimately shoulder the broader financial responsibility. Governments committed through Target 19 of the global framework to secure no less than $200 billion annually for biodiversity by the year 2030, a figure that incorporates $30 billion directed internationally to developing nations. Operating separately from the private alliance, a government-led Coalition of Action to Recover Endangered Species, led by Colombia and Armenia, was also established at the Yerevan summit to support state-level extinction targets.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Species Recovery Alliance

How much new money is included in the $500 million pledge?

About one-third of the total $500 million commitment is incremental, new financing, according to Cristián Samper of the Bezos Earth Fund.

Do the nine organizations pool their money into one central account?

No, the organizations do not establish a single pooled fund. Instead, they coordinate their independent grants, share lessons learned, and align recovery projects with local conservation partners.

What specific framework guides the conservation goals of the alliance?

The alliance’s work supports Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which calls for urgent action to halt human-induced extinctions and aid threatened species in recovery.