A new alliance backed by the Bezos Earth Fund plans to commit more than $500 million over five years to some of the world's most endangered plants and animals, elevating species recovery within the broader biodiversity agenda.
Here's what to know
According to Mongabay, the Species Recovery Alliance brings together nine organizations — including the Bezos Earth Fund, Re:wild, Rainforest Trust, and Fondation Segré — and was introduced Oct. 16 at COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia. It aims to align funding and conservation efforts rather than create a single pooled fund.
Cristián Samper, managing director and leader of nature solutions at the Bezos Earth Fund, said the partnership emerged from worries that the drive to expand protected areas was drawing focus away from species already facing severe declines.
"We're forgetting some of the other targets, in particular, the Target 4 on recovery of endangered species," Samper told Mongabay at COP17.
Even with that framework in place, biodiversity indicators continue to worsen. Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is meant to spur urgent action to stop human-caused extinctions, and the alliance's debut gives endangered species recovery a more prominent place in conservation funding.
More background
In the World Wildlife Fund's 2026 Living Planet Report, tracked vertebrate wildlife populations were down by an average of 73% between 1970 and 2022. In Africa, the decline was 80%.
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The broader picture remains discouraging: a new U.N. assessment found that fewer than half of the biodiversity targets reviewed are on track. That shortfall has added to frustration with conservation strategies that emphasize acreage protected without ensuring that endangered species recover.
A park boundary may protect habitat, but species already pushed to the brink can still disappear without targeted intervention, funding, and ongoing monitoring.
Samper made that point directly: "Setting up protected areas and dealing with the other issues is not enough."
What's being done?
Coordination sits at the center of the plan. Rather than creating a single new institution, the participating groups are lining up funding and conservation work so threatened species recovery receives more targeted support over the next five years.
It also builds on the Bezos Earth Fund's $200 million Phoenix Species Project, which Mongabay reported was introduced in August. Aimed at supporting the recovery of 100 critically endangered species in 30 countries, that program gives the new alliance an existing framework and pipeline for action.
The new pledge could help shift how conservation dollars are deployed — toward species-specific recovery work rather than relying only on broader land-protection goals.
Where can I learn more?
That push shows up in a range of conservation stories, from Indigenous forest stewardship in Ecuador to tiger recovery in Nepal.
• In Ecuador, Indigenous Amazon lands matched forest protections even without formal contracts.
• In Nepal, wild tiger numbers climbed to 429 as conflict intensified near park edges.
• In Brazil, 1.6 million acres gained protection through new Amazon reserves and a larger Caatinga park.
• Twenty states and Washington, D.C., sued over habitat rollbacks that could weaken species protections.
• Endangered animals can be killed under a Washington rollback if they are not targeted.
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