Academy Award winning Hollywood actor and an outspoken climate activist Leonardo DiCaprio has extended congratulations to the government of Bangladesh on the recently established "marine protected area" around Saint Martin's Island.
DiCaprio, an advocate for environmental issues, also greeted the local communities and NGOs on the achievement that will protect biodiversity.
In a tweet on Friday he wrote, "Congrats to the Government of Bangladesh, local communities & NGOs on a newly established Marine Protected Area around Saint Martin's Island that will protect an incredible community of biodiversity and provide key habitat for Bangladesh's only coral reef."
The American actor in 1998, at the age of 24, established his foundation with the mission of protecting the Earth's last wild places and implementing solutions to build a more harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world.
Through grantmaking, public campaigns, and media projects, DiCaprio has worked to bring attention and funding to the protection of biodiversity, ocean and forest conservation, and climate change.
The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation supports over 35 innovative conservation projects around the world that protect fragile ecosystems and key species.
He was designated by the United Nations as a Messenger of Peace with a special focus on climate change ahead of the 2014 Climate Summit, aimed at catalysing and galvanising climate action towards a global climate agreement in 2015.
DiCapriois also known to dedicate most of his social media posts to climate advocacy and related news.
MARINE PROTECTED AREA
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, under Sections 13 (1) and 13 (2) of the Wildlife (Conservation and Protection) Act, 2012, recently declared the area as "St Martin's Marine Protected Area".
This protected area is by far the largest and second marine protected area in the country.
The declaration will help prevent uncontrolled movement of ships and motorboats, overfishing, dumping of waste and harmful chemicals in the sea, destruction of coral colonies, and depletion of biodiversity in the area.
