Environmentalist bae and guardian of my heart Leonardo DiCaprio is vowing to live in a world in which his future kids and mine can confidentially say, That's a vaquita porpoise and it is not extinct. On Wednesday, the Oscar winner announced that his foundation has teamed up with billionaire Carlos Slim's foundation and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to sign an agreement that will protect marine ecosystems in the upper Gulf of California. According to The Associated Press, about two dozen vaquita porpoises, native to the upper Gulf, remain in the area today; its population has diminished due to the presence of illegal gillnets used to catch a type of fish that is prized in China.
Leo issued a nice statement about the move, which comes off the heels of his very public call out to President Neito to take action (there was a petition backed by the World Wildlife Fund): "This action is a critical step towards ensuring that the Gulf of California continues to be both vibrant and productive, especially for species like the critically endangered vaquita," he said (via The AP).
Leo's latest move to protect Mother Earth and her precious oceans further confirms that he is the unofficial prince of the sea. In March, he announced a major investment in LoveTheWild, a company that specializes in sustainable aquaculture (ie. frozen seafood meals). Last fall, Leo and the National Geographic Channel also released his three-year passion project, the environmental documentary Before the Flood, which discussed in detail the melting rates of ice sheets in the Arctic. Leo re-promoted the documentary in late May after Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris accord.
Go Leo!
