A new environmental foundation backed by Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio is pledging $5 million in aid to the Amazon, which has been swept by wildfires .
Following the success of Titanic in 1997 along with earlier films, 24-year-old DiCaprio established the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting environmental awareness.
He has been an active supporter of numerous environmental organizations and has sat on the board of the World Wildlife Fund, Global Green USA, International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Natural Resources Defense Council.[
Earth Alliance was created last month by DiCaprio and philanthropists Laurene Powell Jobs and Brian Sheth.
According to a press release, the Alliance convenes the communicating power of the LDF with the talent and capacities of Emerson Collective and Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC) – marking the next stage of LDF’s growth as its staff and operations fold under Earth Alliance to power its future.
The organisation will be led by a newly appointed, independent management team of internationally renowned scientists and conservationists who will work globally to protect ecosystems and wildlife, ensure climate justice, support renewable energy, and secure indigenous rights to the benefit of all life on earth.
“I am incredibly proud of the impact my foundation has had over the last 20 years by supporting nearly 200 projects from 132 different organisations across climate science, marine and land conservation, critical species preservation and indigenous rights,” DiCaprio said.
#EarthAlliance has formed an emergency Amazon Forest Fund with $5m to focus critical resources for indigenous communities and other local partners working to protect the biodiversity of the Amazon against the surge of fires. Learn more & donate: https://t.co/uG2WoEoKqx pic.twitter.com/IbcubQCO4v
— Earth Alliance (@earthalliance) August 25, 2019
Recently in a report by AP, it launched the Amazon Forest Fund in an announcement on their website. The alliance is also seeking donations to help repair the Brazilian rainforest, called the “lungs of the planet.”
The funds will be distributed to five local groups working to combat the problem: Instituto Associacao Floresta Protegida, Coordination of the Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon, Instituto Kabu, Instituto Raoni, and Instituto Socioambiental.
