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Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos are joining forces for a good cause. The Hollywood star and the successful businessman are donating an impressive $200 million dollars to the Protect Our Planet Challenge, to protect the Amazon rainforest from deforestation.
The actor’s non-profit organization Re:Wild conservation and Nature Solutions from the Bezos Earth Fund, are working together with Brazil’s Minister of the Environment to protect vulnerable areas and indigenous territories of the country, with the goal of achieving zero deforestation, including 145 million acres of the rainforest, helping Brazil to transition into a green economy and protect the rights of Indigenous people and their lands.
“We are inspired by Brazil’s ambitious goals for protecting the Amazon, one of the most important places for wildlife on the planet, and are thrilled to be able to support these efforts through the Protecting Our Planet Challenge,” DiCaprio said in a statement.
The leader of Nature Solutions from Bezos Earth Fund, Cristián Samper, explained that the “Amazon is critical for the future of global biodiversity and climate, and we welcome the commitment from President Lula and the Government of Brazil to protect it.”
“We are pleased to support the designation and management of protected areas and Indigenous territories as a key part of the strategy to reduce deforestation, along with new economic models of development based on the conservation and sustainable use of the forest,” he declared.