Leonardo DiCaprio Makes a Pledge of $43M to 'Rewild' Galapagos Islands

Leonardo DiCaprio and a group of environmental foundations and organizations have promised $43 million toward a mass conservation attempt to rewild the Galápagos Islands.

(Photo : Getty Images)

Over 1 Million Species Pushed to the Brink of Extinction

The action is being taken on in coordination with Re:wild - discovered this year by DiCaprio - a longtime climate activist and a group of conservation experts - the Galápagos National Park Directorate, Charles Darwin Foundation, Ecuador's Ministry of Environment and Water, and Island Conservation.

Some Portion of Ecuador, the 19 islands sited in the Pacific Ocean are home to many enthralling wildlife, like the blue-footed booby, the great white sharks, and giant tortoise. Ninety-seven percent of the land is a national park, and 50,000 square miles of the nearby ocean is safeguarded by the Galápagos Marine Reserve. 

Leonardo DiCaprio said: "When I visited the Galápagos Islands, I saw Paula Castaño and other environmental heroes in Ecuador working during the day and at night to save one of the most unique places on the planet." He added that the wild is declining all over the world, and three-quarters of the wild places have been degraded and over 1 million species have been pushed to the brink of extinction. More than half of the remaining wild areas of the Earth could vanish in the next few decades if a decisive action is not taken.

Also Read: Why is the Galapagos Archipelago Extremely Ecologically Rich?

Reintroducing 13 Defunct Species  

The pledge of DiCaprio and partners will go toward bringing back Floreana Island, which is home to 54 threatened species and also reintroducing 13 species that are defunct in the region. Among those is the first mockingbird reported by Charles Darwin - Floreana mockingbird.

The pledge will also sponsor a captive breeding initiative for the pink iguana, and also make effort to conserve and safeguard Galápagos marine life from the effects of ecotourism. Castaño will be handling the Instagram and Twitter accounts of DiCaprio to point out the dangers the Galápagos Islands are facing and how his great audience can assist.

(Photo : Getty Images)

Environmental Heroes

"Up to 97% of the land region of the Galápagos Islands comes under the status of the national park. We are not making attempt to take humans away from the picture," Castaño said. Castañ added that they are making effort to all work together to rewild these ecosystems and assist the community too.

They want to be able to keep thriving together with nature."The heroes of the environment that the planet requires are already here," DiCaprio said. "Now we all must get up to the challenge and join them."

The Galápagos Islands, some portion of the Republic of Ecuador, are an archipelago of volcanic islands apportioned on either side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean encircling the center of the Western Hemisphere. Sited 563 mi (906 km) west of continental Ecuador, the islands are famous for their great number of indigenous species studied by Charles Darwin. 

Related Article: Equatorial Undercurrent Could Explain Galápagos Islands' Unique Biodiversity

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