DiCaprio Joins Bezos in Endangered Species Project, USVI home to 100+ Endangered Species

M.A. Dworkin

USVI - The U.S. Virgin Islands is home to more than 100 Endangered Species including critical populations of the Leatherback and Hawksbill Sea Turtles, marine life, terrestrial reptiles and native plants. Motion picture icon Leonardo DiCaprio has teamed up with Centi-billionaire Jeff Bezos to launch what is being described as the largest philanthropic effort ever dedicated to saving Endangered Species.   

The actor’s conservation organization, Re:wild and Bezos Earth Fund announced the Phoenix Species Project on August 4, 2026. It will commit $200 million to help recover 100 critically Endangered Species across 30 countries. The initiative will be aiming at long-term conservation work, habitat restoration, captive breeding, disease management and species reintroduction. The project will especially focus on species at immediate risk of extinction, spanning from mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, femurs,  salamanders, rare birds  and endangered plants.

The Phoenix Species Project will provide financial support for conservation efforts in biodiversity hotspots across the globe. Funding will go toward restoring habitats, controlling invasive species, managing wildlife diseases, expanding breeding and reintroduction programs. Conservation groups say the goal is not only to prevent extinction but to help populations recover over the long term. 

“The Phoenix Species Project has the potential to drastically shift how we approach conservation,” said Mr. DiCaprio.

The initiative will advance beyond small, short-term grants and provide substantial investment in the work necessary to accelerate recovery for wildlife species. More than 100 local and international partners around the world will lead the work and tailor the recovery efforts to each species and place. 

The project supports countries that are trying to deliver Target 4 of the CBD Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) which falls under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which calls for governments around the world to halt extinctions and improve the conservation status of Endangered Species.  

Environmental groups have welcomed the project, calling it the biggest private investment ever made in biodiversity conservation. Experts say protecting Endangered Species also helps preserve ecosystems that are essential for tackling climate change and maintaining healthy environments.

Although the USVI as an unincorporated Territory is not a formal party to GBF, the USVI actively supports and implements the ecological goals of Target 4 through localized environmental policies, federal U.S. funding, and regional Caribbean initiatives. 

Even without a formal UN mandate, the USVI directly mirrors the framework’s intent through DPNR’s endangered species management, which includes aggressive management of threatened native flora and fauna across the Territory. Also by deploying federal grants for coral reef restoration and disease control to combat Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) and the use of advanced bioengineering to rehabilitate degraded reef systems. These operations directly prevent the localized extinction of key marine species. In addition to these critical initiatives, the USVI acts to control invasive threats such as feral pests, native snakes, and Indo-Pacific lionfish. The Territory also maintains a localized priority to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and prevent the erasure of native bird and reptile populations.    

The USVI also coordinates with broader Caribbean conservation bodies like the Caribbean Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM) and the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF). These networks explicitly align their financial strategies with the Kunming-Montreal framework to boost biodiversity health across small island ecosystems.   

Species on the Endangered list for the USVI:

• Leatherback Sea Turtle

• Hawksbill Sea Turtle

• Virgin Islands Tree Boa

• St. Croix Ground Lizard

• West Indian Manatee

• Yellow Mottled Coqui

• Saint Croix’s Sphaero

• Pillar Coral

• Black-capped Petrel

• Kiaerskovii Lidflower (Critically Endangered)