Renowned Hollywood icon Leonardo DiCaprio has delivered a heartfelt appeal to halt the logging of native forests in Australia, with a particular focus on safeguarding the habitat of the critically endangered swift parrot. Through an Instagram post reaching his extensive following of 62 million, DiCaprio shed light on the ongoing devastation of the parrot’s breeding grounds in Tasmania, underscoring the urgency of the situation given the precarious status of the swift parrot population, currently estimated at a mere 750 individuals residing in the wild.
DiCaprio implored the Australian government to uphold its commitment to preventing further species extinctions, emphasizing the imperative of ceasing logging activities to protect not only the swift parrot but also other imperiled wildlife species.
In his Instagram post, DiCaprio highlighted a recent development where conservationists secured a temporary injunction to halt logging activities at the nesting sites of the swift parrot in Tasmania. Despite the critical status of the species, forest destruction has persisted in the crucial breeding areas located in eastern Tasmania. The injunction, granted by the Tasmanian Supreme Court on January 31, is pending a legal challenge initiated by the @bobbrownfoundation.
Drawing attention to the alarming extent of ongoing habitat destruction, DiCaprio referenced a report that underscores the urgency of the situation. He noted the incongruity of continued logging activities in native forests, despite the recommendation from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species to cease logging in areas where swift parrots nest.
DiCaprio reiterated the Australian government’s pledge to prevent any further species extinctions and called upon them to honor their commitment to zero extinctions. He emphasized that the most effective means of safeguarding the swift parrot, along with numerous other threatened forest species in Australia and Tasmania, is to cease native forest logging entirely across the region.
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