Hollywood icon Leonardo DiCaprio has recently spoken out against logging in Tasmania’s forests ahead of the state election.
The renowned “The Wolf of Wall Street” actor and founder of the conservation organisation Rewild has persistently urged the Tasmanian government to halt forest logging.
In a recent Instagram post to his 62 million followers, Mr. DiCaprio joined the discussion on the Tasmanian election with his second plea this year for the state government to take action.
“Mainland Australia and Tasmania have one of the worst wildlife extinction rates in the world, partly driven by habitat destruction,” he said in the post on March 19.
“The native forests of Tasmania are one of the only places on earth where trees naturally tower over 280 feet tall. These giants have been logged for decades, resulting in many forest species, including the Critically Endangered Swift Parrot, being pushed to the brink of extinction.”
Mr. DiCaprio called for a halt on logging to save the bird in a separate Instagram post just last month.
Wildlife expert Bob Brown said the star’s “heartfelt” pleas come after the Tasmanian government announced plans to expand logging into previously protected areas if reelected on March 13.
“The Rockliff government’s announcement of expanding logging into 40,000 hectares of previously protected forest has not only riled the logging industry itself but is drawing this global condemnation,” Mr. Brown said.
It comes as communities in Tasmania are rallying behind Mr. DiCaprio’s cause, as over 3,000 locals took to the streets of Hobart on March 17, demanding an immediate halt to native forest logging.
Tasmanian Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff, set to contest the upcoming election, appeared at the rally.
Afterward Bob Brown Foundation Manager Jenny Weber warned that in the past ten years, more than 45,000 hectares of forest were logged and burned, leading to increased greenhouse gases and reduced habitat for endangered species like the Swift Parrot, Masked Owl, Quolls, Devils, and Giant Freshwater Crayfish.
Stable Species Status Erode Conservation Efforts
However, the Masked Owl’s status is stable and in 2023, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the owl’s status as Least Concern.The Owl’s subspecies in Victoria is critically endangered due to the 2019/2020 bushfires in East Gippsland, not because of logging.
Various other factors, including overfishing, endanger species such as the Giant Freshwater Crayfish.
Meanwhile, over 50 percent (3.43 million hectares) of Tasmania is still in formal reserves, making it one of the most protected places globally, with about 58 percent of the state’s native forests and over 85 percent of its old-growth forests included.
This means 3.39 million hectares of land will remain in formal reserves if the Rockliff government expands logging into 40,000 hectares of previously protected forest.
The government said the expansion aims to support Tasmanian saw millers, contractors, and local jobs, following significant job losses in the sector due to a nearly halved production of forest land and reduced wood supply to local saw millers.
“With our changing climate and an expanding bioeconomy, well-planned management can also boost the health and resilience of these forests and assist with bushfire management, while generating income, sequestering carbon, and delivering other ecosystem benefits such as healthy wildlife habitat,” resources minister Felix Ellis said.
Celebrity Wildlife Advocacy Questioned
Meanwhile, the authenticity of celebrities’ wildlife advocacy, including from Mr. Dicaprio, has raised some eyebrows.“Tasmanians don’t appreciate being lectured by a Hollywood celebrity. Leonardo DiCaprio should stick to acting,” State MP Felix Ellis said.
“That guy loves preaching about what everyone else should be doing about climate change from his private jet. I think his hypocrisy has diminished his ability to speak convincingly about anything,” said another person.
It comes as habitats face a significant threat from the world’s wealthiest people, as the richest 1 percent emit as much planet-heating pollution as two-thirds of humanity, according to Oxfam International.
The emissions from the richest will lead to 1.3 million heat-related deaths, or the entire population of Dublin, with most deaths predicted to occur between 2020 and 2030.
“The super-rich are plundering and polluting the planet to the point of destruction, leaving humanity choking on extreme heat, floods, and drought,” Oxfam International director Amitabh Behar said.
“For years we’ve fought to end the era of fossil fuels to save millions of lives and our planet. It’s clearer than ever this will be impossible until we, too, end the era of extreme wealth.”
