Leonardo DiCaprio sparks global support for Swift Parrots, calls for an end to native forest logging

Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio has made a passionate plea to end native forest logging in Australia, aiming to protect the habitat of the critically endangered swift parrot. In an Instagram post reaching his vast following of 62 million, DiCaprio highlighted the ongoing destruction of the parrot's breeding grounds in Tasmania, despite their dwindling population estimated at just 750.

He urged the Australian government to honour its commitment to prevent further extinctionand called for an end to logging to safeguard the swift parrot and other threatened species.

“Australia Conservationists have won a temporary injunction to stop logging in the Tasmania nesting sites of the Critically Endangered Swift Parrot. Only an estimated 750 Swift Parrots remain, yet forest destruction has continued in their sole breeding sites in eastern Tasmania. On January 31, the Tasmanian supreme court granted the injunction pending a hearing of the legal challenge brought by the @bobbrownfoundation. A recent report highlights the shocking scale of ongoing destruction, despite the recommendation from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species to halt logging of native forests where these parrots nest. The Australian government has promised that it will prevent any new extinctions. Conservationists continue to encourage them to uphold their zero extinction commitment. The only way to protect the swift parrot, and hundreds of other threatened Australian forest species, is to end native forest logging across Australia and Tasmania,”DiCaprio wrote. Check it out below!

The swift parrot, a migratory bird that spends winters in Victoria and New South Wales and summers nesting in forests scattered across the island state of Tasmania, faces dire circumstances as its habitat continues to shrink due to forestry practices. Recent studies predict a steep decline in population, with some estimating a mean population of just 58 birds by 2031 if urgent conservation efforts are not implemented.

DiCaprio's advocacy comes in the wake of a recent court victory for the Bob Brown Foundation, which secured a temporary injunction on logging in a critical forest area south of Hobart. Re:wild, a conservation organisation supported by DiCaprio, brought attention to the swift parrot's plight, prompting the actor's endorsement of the campaign to halt logging and save the species.

Bob Brown expressed gratitude for DiCaprio's support, noting the global attention brought to Tasmania and the swift parrot's conservation efforts.“Leonardo DiCaprio has put Tasmania on the map big time, and the plight of the swift parrot is now well and truly global,” Brown said.

“We are delighted to see Leonardo’s full endorsement of our campaign to end native forest logging and save the critically endangered swift parrots. We are inviting Leonardo to Tasmania to see this beautiful island, its forests and wildlife for himself," he added.

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Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek affirmed the government's commitment to swift parrot conservation, citing the release of a national recovery plan and reforms to regulate native forest logging under national environment laws. Plibersek emphasised ongoing investment in conservation efforts, including specific programs targeting the swift parrot.

“Last year I released the national recovery plan for the swift parrot to protect and revive this iconic species,” Plibersek said.

“And it’s why we are reforming our laws to ensure that native forest logging is regulated by national environment laws for the first time ever," she added.