Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Funds Leuser Ecosystem Megafauna Sanctuary

Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation is funding a new project in Leuser Ecosystem that will support Goldman Prize winner and conversationalist Rudi Putra’s efforts to create a wildlife sanctuary Leuser Ecosystem is the last place where orangutans, rhinos, elephants, and tigers, and the elusive clouded leopard still roam together in the wild.

In response to mounting threats to the Leuser Ecosystem, two grass-roots NGOs in Aceh, HAkA and FKL, have come together to save the largest remaining tract of lowland forest in Sumatra. Leading their project, Rudi plans to secure a core area of approximately of 200,000 hectares that hosts incredible biodiversity of plant and animal species.

Though the outside pressures may seem insurmountable, after careful planning and lengthy negotiations Rudi has been able convince the provincial and district forestry agencies to pledge an initial agreement to set aside most of this 200,000 hectare area as a sanctuary.

We have a responsibility to innovate a future where the habitability of our planet does not come at the expense of those who inhabit it.     

        — Leonardo DiCaprio

LDF will support Rudi’s plan to secure the forest by constructing barriers, training wildlife patrols and rangers, and recording and reporting any ongoing habitat destruction. If successful, the plan is to extend the sanctuary further to the south, north, and west to cover a total area of approximately 600,000 hectares of wildlife habitat within the 2.6 million hectare Leuser Ecosystem.

This funding for Leuser is a continued effort to preserve and protect the future of the planet. In 2015, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has provided $15 million in grants to organizations implementing innovative and impactful environmental projects around the globe.

This new round of grants furthers the Foundation’s strategic approach to tackling some of today’s most pressing environmental issues. From funding concrete and early-phase solutions to protect key species and threatened marine and terrestrial ecosystems, to empowering indigenous communities to be the long-term stewards and protectors of their natural resources, these grants will support trusted nonprofits, results-driven conservation projects, and collaborative initiatives across the world.

“The destruction of our planet continues at a pace we can no longer afford to ignore,” said Leonardo DiCaprio. “I am proud to support these organizations who are working to solve humankind’s greatest challenge.”

Excerpts from the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.