Leonardo DiCaprio pledges $43m to restore Galapagos Islands

Hollywood A-Lister Leonardo DiCaprio has pledged his support to a $43 million conservation and restoration effort across the Galapagos Islands, also handing his social media accounts to Paula A Castaño, a wildlife veterinarian and island restoration specialist. 

A collaboration between Re:wild, the brainchild of DiCaprio and several conservation scientists, Island Conservation, and the Galapagos National Park, the initiative’s main goal is to rewild the whole Galapagos Islands as well as the Pacific archipelagos.

More than half of Earth’s remaining wild areas could disappear in the next few decades if we don’t decisively act. This is why today I am excited to launch @Rewild – to help protect what’s still wild and restore the rest. pic.twitter.com/Sxmrx2uhwd

— Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) May 17, 2021

“When I traveled to the Galápagos Islands, I met with Paula Castaño and other environmental heroes in Ecuador working day in and day out to save one of the most irreplaceable places on the planet,” tweeted Leonardo DiCaprio, before handing over his account to Castaño.

“Around the world, the wild is declining. We have degraded three-quarters of the wild places and pushed more than 1 million species to the brink of extinction. More than half of Earth’s remaining wild areas could disappear in the next few decades if we don’t decisively act.”

When I travelled to the Galápagos Islands, I met with Paula A. Castaño from Island Conservation (@NoExtinctions), who works day in and day out to help save one of the most irreplaceable places on the planet.

— Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) May 17, 2021

“The environmental heroes that the planet needs are already here. Now we all must rise to the challenge and join them,” he added.

According to The Guardian, the pledged amount will directly fund efforts to restore the Floreana Island that is native to about 54 endangered species.

In addition to that, the amount will also be used to reintroduce 13 species that are locally extinct on the Island and to kick off a captive breeding program and other activities to prevent the extinction of species.

The program also plans to reintroduce the distinctive Floreana mockingbird – the first ever described by Charles Darwin.

Talking about the conservation effort, Castano said, “Time is running out for so many species, especially on islands where their small populations are vulnerable and threatened. We need catalytic investments like the one announced today to replicate our successes in the Galápagos and elsewhere.”

This is not the first time that Leonardo DiCaprio has risen up to champion an environmental issue. According to The Guardian, the Wolf of Wall Street star has provided more than $100 million to different environmental projects.