Leonardo DiCaprio highlights massive forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra

Leonardo DiCaprio has used his social media platform to draw international attention to massive forest and land fires occurring in Kalimantan and Sumatra. According to his reports, more than 2 million acres, or approximately 800,000 hectares, of forest have been destroyed.

The fires have significant humanitarian and environmental consequences, with over five million people reportedly exposed to smoke and poor air quality. DiCaprio noted that climate change is making the Kalimantan region increasingly dry and hot, while human activities, such as land clearing for agriculture, exacerbate the crisis by releasing large amounts of carbon from peatlands.

The fires pose a severe threat to biodiversity, specifically targeting primates like the Bornean orangutan and the Bornean white-bearded gibbon. DiCaprio highlighted rescue efforts, including the evacuation of an orangutan by BKSDA Kalimantan Tengah with support from the BOS Foundation.