Leonardo DiCaprio Teams Up with Mexico President & Carlos Slim to Help Endangered Porpoises

During a meeting on Thursday (June 8), Leonardo DiCaprio, Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto, billionaire Carlos Slim, and senior government officials at the Official Residence of Los Pinos created a Memorandum of Understanding to make major commitments to protect valuable marine ecosystems in the Gulf of California.

The Gulf has been under increased pressure from overfishing. The native Vaquita is on the brink of extinction as a result and there are also fewer than 30 of the native porpoises left in the wild.

“Now more than ever, the world is looking for bold leadership at every level to tackle climate change and environmental conservation issues,” Leonardo said. “I am honored to work with President Peña Nieto, who has been a leader in ecosystem conservation, to ensure the future viability of marine life in the Gulf. This action is a critical step towards ensuring that the Gulf of California continues to be both vibrant and productive, especially for species like the critically-endangered Vaquita. My Foundation and I look forward to continuing to work with President Peña Nieto, our NGO partners, and the local communities in the Gulf to reach greater progress on these important issues.”

“Mexico understands its responsibility as one of the countries with greatest biodiversity,” President Peña Nieto added. “That is why we have implemented an historic effort to avoid the extinction of a unique species in the world and also to protect important ecosystems such as the Revillagigedo World Heritage Site. Mexico also understands its vulnerability to the effects of climate change, and that is why we committed to meet the commitments of the Paris Agreement and to work with other countries to do the same. We are very pleased to have the support of the DiCaprio Foundation and the Slim Foundation since the sum of effort and teamwork always brings better results.”

The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and the Carlos Slim Foundation have pledged to support the ongoing operation of the enforcement, research and implementation of the objectives, which you can read below.

Click inside to find out the details of the memorandum…

- Making the temporary ban on the use of gillnets throughout the range of the Vaquita in the upper Gulf of California waters permanent

- Improving enforcement efforts to combat the use of illegal gillnets and increasing prosecution of illegal fishing and totoaba poaching,

-Prohibiting nighttime fishing in the upper Gulf of California and the Vaquita Reserve, and

- Implementing and enforcing limited entry and exit points throughout the region for all fishing through certified inspectors.