Hollywood superstar and conservationist Leonardo DiCaprio has called on Australia to put an end to its massive-scale logging of native forests, in order to help prevent the extinction of a critically endangered species of parrot.
The Hollywood star who most known for his roles in Titanic and Wolf Of Wall Street — as well as the urban legend that he is deathly allergic to dating anyone over the age of 25-years-old — shared a post to his 62.2 million Instagram followers where he highlighted the issue.
DiCaprio shared a win made by Australian conservationists made to prevent logging in Tasmania, which is the native breeding area for the critically endangered Swift Parrot.
The Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor for you bird nerds) is a rare species of bright green broad-tailed parrot that can only be found in south eastern Australia. It has a lifespan of up to 15 years, which is 10 years less than what it would take for Leo to lose interest in it.
The Swift Parrot is not named after Taylor Swift.
The species has suffered greatly due to the predatory introduced species of sugar glider possums feeding on the female species. Additionally, this predatory species is benefitted by the process logging as it means the Swift Parrot’s habitats are cleared and makes them easier targets for the sugar gliders, further slimming the parrot’s chances of survival.
“Only an estimated 750 Swift Parrots remain, yet forest destruction has continued in their sole breeding sites in eastern Tasmania,” warned DiCaprio.
The actor also raised awareness of a promise made by the Australian government which would see no more species go extinct in the country.
“The Australian government has promised that it will prevent any new extinctions. Conservationists continue to encourage them to uphold their zero extinction commitment,” wrote DiCaprio.
“The only way to protect the Swift Parrot, and hundreds of other threatened Australian forest species, is to end native forest logging across Australia and Tasmania.”
Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek announced last year a plan of recovery for the Swift Parrot, and shared in response to Leo’s post that she wants to see the species thrive.
“It’s why we are reforming our laws to ensure that native forest logging is regulated by national environment laws for the first time ever,” she said.
Plibersek stated that the government is committed to spending $500 million on protecting endangered native species, including the Swift Parrot.
