Leonardo DiCaprio criticizes illegal mining in the Amazon region

Leonardo DiCaprio is an actor, producer - and environmental activist. Now the 45-year-old has criticized illegal mining in the Amazon region. He released an aerial photo on Thursday of a meeting of leaders of the indigenous peoples Yanomami and Yek'wana from northern Brazil on Instagram.

They positioned themselves in such a way that their bodies formed the words "No Mining" (Fora Garimpo). "A strong message," DiCaprio wrote of the picture.

Thousands of prospectors

The Hollywood star has been committed to protecting the rainforest in the Amazon region for a long time and has clashed with the far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on several occasions. "Although Brazilian law prohibits mining on the Yanomami land, thousands of gold miners have recently entered the reserve," said DiCaprio next to the photo on Instagram.

Check out this post on Instagram

"No more mining" - a powerful message from the Yanomami and Ye'kwana peoples of northern Brazil to the world. Despite Brazilian laws that make mining on Yanomami Indigenous land illegal, thousands of goldminers have recently entered Yanomami Park, one of Brazil's biggest indigenous reserves, spreading malaria and contaminating rivers with mercury. The invasion comes after the budget for Amazon law enforcement operations in Brazil was slashed, leaving protected areas vulnerable to exploitation. The last time there was an invasion of this scale was during the 1980s, when around one-fifth of the indigenous population died from violence, malaria, malnutrition, mercury poisoning and other causes. At a recent Yanomami and Ye'kwana Leadership Forum, the tribe leaders issued a letter to the main authorities of the Brazilian Executive and Judiciary. "We do not want to repeat this story of massacre," reads the manifesto. Photo supplied by @socioambiental #foragarimpo #standwiththeyanomami

A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on Dec 26, 2019 at 6:34 am PST

The picture was distributed by the non-governmental organization Instituto Socioambiental and comes from a meeting in late November in the Amazon rainforest. According to the organization, around 20,000 gold prospectors have settled on the land of the indigenous communities. They often spread diseases and pollute the rivers with toxic mercury.