Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew have named a tree new to science after Leonardo DiCaprio to honour the star for his campaigning to save a rainforest from logging.
According to BBC News, the tree which was named, Uvariopsis dicaprio, grows in the Ebo Forest in Cameroon – known for its outstanding biodiversity.
“We think he was crucial in helping to stop the logging of the Ebo Forest,” said Dr Martin Cheek of Kew as per BBC News.
The tree is from the ylang-ylang family and has large yellow-green flowers on its trunk and the species was given its name of the Oscar-winning actor and environmental activist after he took to social media with an aim to get a logging concession in the Ebo Forest revoked in February 2020, reports Daily Mail.
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The forest is one of the largest untouched rainforests in Central Africa and is home to the Banen people, unique flora and fauna and threatened gorillas, chimps and forest elephants.
International experts wrote a letter to the government stating that animal and plant species are at risk of extinction and DiCaprio who then posted to his social media where his millions of followers added momentum to the campaign. The plans for logging were later revoked by the government and the forest is set to be an official national park.
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Picture: Wikimedia Commons