New York, Apr 6 (EFE).- Actor Leonardo DiCaprio plans to build an eco-friendly resort on an uninhabited island off Belize, a project aimed at combining environmentalism and hospitality.

 

“The main focus is to do something that will change the world,” DiCaprio told The New York Times, adding that he wanted to create a resort that “could be groundbreaking in the environmental movement.”

 

The actor, a long-time environmental activist who serves as a U.N. Messenger of Peace with a special focus on climate change, bought 42-hectare (104-acre) Blackadore Caye a decade ago.

 

“It was like heaven on earth,” DiCaprio said, referring to Belize. “And almost immediately, I found this opportunity to purchase an island there.”

 

The star of “Titanic” and a partner paid $1.75 million for the idland and spent the past few years looking for a developer who could make his plans a reality.

 

DiCaprio is teaming up with Paul Scialla, CEO of New York-based development company Delos, and expects to open a luxury resort on the island in 2018.

 

Blackadore Caye, a Restorative Island, as the project is officially know, will feature guest villas constructed on a huge platform over the water, with artificial reefs and fish shelters built underneath.

 

DiCaprio plans to replant native vegetation and help protect several different animal species, employing experts to constantly monitor the resort’s environmental impact.

 

“My goal was always the fact that I wanted to create something not just environmental, but restorative,” DiCaprio said. “A showcase for what is possible.” EFE