Moore gives $261m to save the world

Wildlife charity gets under way...

Intel co-founder Gordon Moore will give $261m to start a fund to stop the destruction of the planet's wildlife.

Billed as the largest private donation to a conservation group, the man behind Moore's Law is handing millions to the Washington-based charity Conservation International.

The group is trying to find ways to protect the Earth's biological diversity by concentrating on 25 "hotspots" - areas of the world which, although covering just 1.4 per cent of the world's surface, hold 60 per cent of the earth's plant and animal species.

It is thought that by protecting these areas, much can be done to ensure the ongoing bio-diversity necessary for the planet's survival.

However Moore's donation is just the beginning - Conservation International estimates the project will cost over $31bn to see through.