Award recognizes Bezos Earth Fund's
historic commitment to protecting nature, fighting climate change
and supporting communities
NEW
YORK, April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- At its
annual gala dinner, Conservation International today honored
Jeff Bezos, the founder and
executive chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, and Lauren Sánchez, the
Fund's vice chair, with its Global Visionary Award. The recognition
highlights Bezos's and Sánchez's unwavering dedication to
addressing the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss
by preserving Earth's most critical ecosystems and supporting the
local communities that safeguard them.
Editors, please note: Photos of tonight's event will be
available on bfa.com, and additional photos and coverage will be
posted on Conservation International's Instagram account,
@conservationorg.
Conservation International CEO Dr. M. Sanjayan presented the
award, which was followed by a conversation between Conservation
International Vice Chair Harrison
Ford, Bezos and Sánchez.
"Jeff and Lauren are making history, not just with the sum of
their investment in nature but also the speed of it. They
understand that the time to start reversing nature loss and climate
change is now — not ten minutes or ten years down the
road," Sanjayan said. "It's not easy to change entire
systems, but that's precisely what they've set out to do. And
they're bringing everyone to the table – communities, businesses,
governments – while promoting the wisdom of Indigenous peoples who
have stewarded their lands brilliantly. This is
collective action with scale and speed, both top-down and
bottom-up."
The Bezos Earth Fund has an extraordinary goal: By 2030, it will
distribute $10 billion to fight
climate change and biodiversity loss. To date, the fund has issued
more than 230 grants designed to conserve the nature that people
rely on for their livelihoods and well-being. It's the largest
philanthropic commitment ever made to fight climate change and
protect nature and sets an unprecedented standard for investing in
a sustainable and healthy future for all.
In a landmark agreement in 2022, governments worldwide pledged
to safeguard 30 percent of the planet's land and sea by 2030. The
Bezos Earth Fund is not just supporting this global goal but
actively advancing it through bold action and by fostering public
and private partnerships.
The Fund's initiatives include backing a 600,000 square
kilometer network of nine Marine Protected Areas across
Ecuador, Colombia, Panama and Costa
Rica in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. The fund has also
committed $100 million to support the
"Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity" initiative — the largest
conservation effort ever. Led by Pacific Island nations, this
initiative will establish sustainable management across the entire
Blue Pacific Continent, a marine area five times the size of
the United States. The fund is
also working to protect the Congo
Basin, a region that sequesters vast amounts of planet-heating
carbon, is rich in biodiversity and is home to 75 million
people.
Across the tropical Andes and the Amazon, Conservation
International and the Bezos Earth Fund have partnered with
governments, Indigenous peoples and local communities to establish
3.5 million hectares of new conservation areas and strengthen the
management of more than 12 million hectares of protected areas and
Indigenous lands in Bolivia,
Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. By bolstering regional management, the
effort supports the durable protection of critical carbon sinks and
wildlife found nowhere else on Earth.
The gala dinner event, hosted by Andrés and Lauren Santo Domingo at The Grill in
New York, included remarks
from:
- Nia Tero Founder, President and CEO & Conservation
International Founder and Chairman Peter
Seligmann
- Conservation International CEO Dr. M. Sanjayan
- Indigenous activist and Conservation International Board
Member Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
- Conservation International Board Member and actor Shailene
Woodley, who delivered the evening's closing remarks
Past Conservation International honorees include U.S. President
Joe Biden (then-former U.S. Vice
President), former U.S. President Bill
Clinton, former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and environmental advocate
and Conservation International Vice Chair Harrison Ford.
About Conservation International: Conservation
International protects nature for the benefit of
humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork and finance, we
spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the
climate, for biodiversity and for people. With offices in 30
countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation
International partners with governments, companies, civil society,
Indigenous peoples and local communities to help people and nature
thrive together. Go to Conservation.org for
more, and follow our work on Conservation
News, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
About the Bezos Earth Fund: The Bezos Earth Fund is
transforming the fight against climate change with the largest ever
philanthropic commitment to climate and nature protection. We're
investing $10 billion in this
decisive decade to protect nature and drive systems-level change,
creating a just transition to a low-carbon economy. By providing
funding and expertise, we partner with organizations to accelerate
innovation, break down barriers to success and create a more
equitable and sustainable world. Join us in our mission to create a
world where people prosper in harmony with nature.
bezosearthfund.org.
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SOURCE Conservation International