Leonardo DiCaprio
Actor serves as namesake for new tree species
Leonardo DiCaprio campaigned for environmental protection in Cameroon.
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British researchers have named a newly discovered tree in the jungle of Cameroon after actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio.
Researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, Great Britain, have named a newly discovered tree species after actor Leonardo DiCarpio (47). The BBC reports. According to this, the plant, which only occurs in the jungle of Cameroon, was christened “Uvariopsis dicaprio”. The scientists wanted to honor the Hollywood star for his commitment to the fight against climate change, it is said.
“We think that he played a crucial role in helping stop the logging in the Ebo Forest,” says Dr. Martin Cheek. The Ebo Wildlife Reserve is a nature reserve in Cameroon that is to become a national park. The forest is home to the Prussian colobus monkey, which is threatened with extinction. The deforestation there was only interrupted in the summer of 2020.
Leonardo DiCaprio – Passionate environmentalist since 1998
DiCaprio has been known as an active environmentalist for decades. In 1998 he founded the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, an organization that works for species and environmental protection and against global warming. In 2021 he founded the Re: wild organization, which is specifically committed to environmental protection on the Galapagos Islands.