Scientists at the renowned Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London, England, have announced their intention to honor Leonardo DiCaprio for his advocacy against logging in the forests of Cameroon, a country located in Central and West Africa, in 2021.
The newly discovered tree, standing at 4 meters tall, has been named Uvariopsis dicaprio. This is the first tree species named by Kew scientists this year. It belongs to the ylang-ylang family (essential oils), featuring large greenish-yellow flowers on its trunk, and was discovered in the Ebo Forest in Cameroon.
According to a publication in the journal PeerJ, Uvariopsis dicaprio has been classified as critically endangered in the species description study. The reason for this classification is that the forest where the tree was found lacks adequate protection, and threats from illegal logging and deforestation continue to persist.
The Uvariopsis dicaprio tree.
Leonardo DiCaprio has long been an advocate for environmental protection, forests, and wildlife.
In response, Leonardo DiCaprio shared a video clip on social media platform Twitter, calling for the protection of the Ebo Forest in collaboration with various wildlife conservation organizations, urging the government to halt logging concessions in this forest.
Many people supported Leonardo DiCaprio’s efforts. By September 2020, President Paul Biya and the Cameroonian government canceled the logging concession.
The cancellation of the logging concession by President Paul Biya raised hopes that the wildlife species found there could avoid the threat of extinction.
“We are very grateful for the support that Leonardo DiCaprio has provided in our campaign to protect Ebo. Therefore, we believe that honoring him by naming a new plant species, unique to this forest, after him is entirely appropriate,” said Dr. Martin Cheek from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
