Leonardo DiCaprio Launches a $3million Australia Wildfire Fund
- 4 years ago
Leonardo DiCaprio's Earth Alliance launches a $3million Australia Wildfire Fund to assist firefighters, help local communities and save wildlife
Earth Alliance, a new organisation co-chaired by actor Leonardo DiCaprio, has announced the launch of a $3million bushfire fund.
On Friday, the organisation committed to launch the Australia Wildfire Fund, an international response to the national bushfire crisis.
All funds will go towards assisting firefighters and long-term recovery efforts.
Working alongside Aussie Ark, Bush Heritage and WIRES Wildlife Rescue, the Australia Wildfire Fund aims to help communities most affected by the bushfires, enable wildlife recovery and support the restoration of the country's ecosystems.
Earth Alliance, founded in 2019, is co-chaired by DiCaprio, philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs (the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs) and investor Brian Sheth.
DiCaprio is a longtime environmental sustainability advocate, having also founded his namesake charity, The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, in 1998 to protect the 'wellbeing of all Earth's inhabitants'.
In November, DiCaprio weighed in on Australia's bushfire crisis when he re-posted a statement by Aussie Ark on Instagram.
'Australian conservation efforts need a radical overhaul,' the organisation stated.
'Mitigating the intensity of these fires, mostly set by humans and their activities, can be achieved by restoring our native ecosystem engineers, such as bandicoots, bettongs and potoroos.
'These species help to maintain healthy forests by continually turning over and breaking down forest leaf litter, thereby drastically reducing fuel load. In their absence, fires are more intense, often reaching the treetops, which can affect populations of species already on the brink, like the koala.'
The Australia Wildlife Fund website states that one of its objectives includes 'overpopulating unique ecosystems', which they claim will increase 'climate resilience' and reduce the threat of future fires.
The bushfires across Australia have so far claimed 26 lives, killed an estimated billion animals, and destroyed thousands of homes.
Earth Alliance, a new organisation co-chaired by actor Leonardo DiCaprio, has announced the launch of a $3million bushfire fund.
On Friday, the organisation committed to launch the Australia Wildfire Fund, an international response to the national bushfire crisis.
All funds will go towards assisting firefighters and long-term recovery efforts.
Working alongside Aussie Ark, Bush Heritage and WIRES Wildlife Rescue, the Australia Wildfire Fund aims to help communities most affected by the bushfires, enable wildlife recovery and support the restoration of the country's ecosystems.
Earth Alliance, founded in 2019, is co-chaired by DiCaprio, philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs (the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs) and investor Brian Sheth.
DiCaprio is a longtime environmental sustainability advocate, having also founded his namesake charity, The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, in 1998 to protect the 'wellbeing of all Earth's inhabitants'.
In November, DiCaprio weighed in on Australia's bushfire crisis when he re-posted a statement by Aussie Ark on Instagram.
'Australian conservation efforts need a radical overhaul,' the organisation stated.
'Mitigating the intensity of these fires, mostly set by humans and their activities, can be achieved by restoring our native ecosystem engineers, such as bandicoots, bettongs and potoroos.
'These species help to maintain healthy forests by continually turning over and breaking down forest leaf litter, thereby drastically reducing fuel load. In their absence, fires are more intense, often reaching the treetops, which can affect populations of species already on the brink, like the koala.'
The Australia Wildlife Fund website states that one of its objectives includes 'overpopulating unique ecosystems', which they claim will increase 'climate resilience' and reduce the threat of future fires.
The bushfires across Australia have so far claimed 26 lives, killed an estimated billion animals, and destroyed thousands of homes.