Jeff Bezos’ Earth Fund, together with eight other entities, announced a collective commitment of $500 million to aid species recovery worldwide on October 16, 2026, ahead of the UN biodiversity conference in Yerevan. The nine founding members—Ayers Wild Cat Conservation Trust, Bezos Earth Fund, Colossal Foundation, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Fondation Segré, Franklinia Foundation, Rainforest Trust, Re, and WildLives Earth—will channel funds into projects that meet the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) criteria for extinct in the wild, critically endangered or endangered species.
More than 31,000 species are listed as extinct in the wild, critically endangered or endangered, with over 10,000 falling into the critically endangered bracket. Roughly ten percent of these species have fewer than 50 individuals left, underscoring the urgency. The alliance stresses that protecting habitats alone is insufficient; 57 % of threatened species need targeted interventions such as breeding programs, genetic rescue, reintroduction, disease management, or invasive species control.
Rather than pool their money into a single pot, the partners will coordinate investments, share expertise and work directly with local conservation teams. This decentralized model allows each project to tailor funding to species‑specific needs while maintaining a unified reporting framework via the IUCN Green Status and Red List metrics. Wes Sechrest, chief executive of Re, said the alliance would “make the recovery of threatened species a global conservation priority and equip local conservationists with the resources to act.”
The announcement coincided with the launch of the Coalition of Action to Recover Endangered Species (CARES), a government‑led initiative of 17 nations headed by Colombia and Armenia. While both efforts share the same objective, they operate independently; the $500 million pledge remains a private‑sector commitment that complements CARES’ national action plans. The alliance has called on additional philanthropists and foundations to join, urging a broader surge in funding to meet the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s Target 4.
In the near term, the alliance will convene a steering committee in Yerevan to finalize investment priorities and set a monitoring schedule ahead of the UN biodiversity conference. The first tranche of funds is slated for release within three months, with progress reported quarterly to the IUCN and partner NGOs.