The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has donated a $2m grant to Oceans 5, dedicated to stopping overfishing and establishing marine reserves in the world’s five oceans.
The funds will support projects creating large protected areas in the Pacific Islands and the Arctic, while also improving fisheries enforcement in Europe, the United States and Central America. DiCaprio’s contribution also supported the protection of threatened shark populations, created a large marine monument in remote Pacific waters of the United States, and advanced efforts to protect Antarctica.
“Oceans 5 is an exciting new platform for marine conservation. Working together with other philanthropists, we are making smarter, more impactful investments for the future of our planet,” said Leonardo DiCaprio, “The sad truth is that less than two per cent of our oceans are fully protected. We need to change that now. My Foundation supports Oceans 5 projects that are directly improving ocean health by stopping overfishing and creating marine reserves.”
DiCaprio’s grant will assist in the development of future initiatives and will directly support beneficiaries including:
- A new coalition of four conservation groups, working to strengthen controls on illegal fishing in the European Union, the world’s largest seafood market
- A local organisation in the Republic of Kiribati, working to implement the world’s fourth largest marine reserve, located in the Central Pacific
- A coalition of three organisations working to improve fisheries enforcement in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador, including construction of a radar facility on Cocos Island
- A group of Cook Islanders working to create a marine park within a territory that is three times the size of California
- Several organisations working to create Arctic marine reserves in Canada, Greenland and Russia
DiCaprio’s grants have also supported a coalition of six organisations that worked successfully to secure new global trade restrictions for endangered sharks. The Foundation also supported an international coalition of organisations seeking to create the world’s largest protected areas in the waters around Antarctica.
Founded in 2011, Oceans 5 develops and supports projects involving multiple groups working toward significant ocean conservation objectives.
