Leonardo DiCaprio’s first love, before acting, is Planet Earth and for that he’s been trying to help the environment for a long time. In fact, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon who called Mr. DiCaprio a “new voice for climate advocacy” recently named him UN Messenger for Peace. Now, for his latest project, the actor is opening an environmental resort and restorative island, Blackadore Caye in Belize, which DiCaprio says he “fell in love” with. “Belize is truly unique. It has the second largest coral reef system in the world, and it has some of the most biodiverse marine life, like the manatee population and almost every species of fish you can imagine. Then there are the Mayan temples and the culture.”
The resort will be no less than luxurious with stunning villas, amazing sunset views, and infinity pools, but it will be different in the sustainability sense, as its main purpose is to restore the island’s environment from overfishing, erosion and deforestation of its mangrove trees. The New York Times reported the guest villas will be built on a “massive platform that stretches in an arc over the water, with artificial reefs and fish shelters underneath.” In addition, the report indicates there will be a nursery, which will grow indigenous marine grass to support a manatee conservation area, and mangrove trees will be replanted.
DiCaprio teamed up with Paul Scialla, of Delos, a New York City-based developer, for the project, after looking for the right partner for almost a decade. The actor explained that the main focus of the project is to do something that “can change the world.” He is looking to showcase what can be done to help the planet, “I couldn’t have gone to Belize and built on an island and done something like this, if it weren’t for the idea that it could be groundbreaking in the environmental movement.”
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