New York, NY (PRWEB) October 16, 2014 – The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation provided $2 million to Oceans 5, an international funders’ collaborative dedicated to stopping overfishing and establishing marine reserves in the world’s five oceans.

The funds will support projects creating large protected areas in the Pacific Islands and the Arctic, while also improving fisheries enforcement in Europe, the United States and Central America. DiCaprio’s contribution also supported the protection of threatened shark populations, created a large marine monument in remote Pacific waters of the United States, and advanced efforts to protect Antarctica.

“Oceans 5 is an exciting new platform for marine conservation. Working together with other philanthropists, we are making smarter, more impactful investments for the future of our planet,” said Leonardo DiCaprio, “The sad truth is that less than two percent of our oceans are fully protected. We need to change that now. My Foundation supports Oceans 5 projects that are directly improving ocean health by stopping overfishing and creating marine reserves.”

DiCaprio’s grant will assist in the development of future initiatives and will directly support beneficiaries including a coalition of three organizations working to improve fisheries enforcement in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador, including construction of a radar facility on Cocos Island (Isla del Coco in Spanish), which is the inspiration for the fictional Isla Nublar of the Jurassic Park Universe

The Costa Rica Star has previously reported on the radar facility at Isla del Coco, which will cost more than $2 million and will be powered by hydroelectricity. The Embassy of Japan is also providing funding for the completion and maintenance of this radar project, which will be used for monitoring marine resources as well as for law enforcement and search and rescue operations as needed.

This contribution by Mr. DiCaprio is not the only connection he has to Costa Rica. He is a producer of Runner Runner, a film about the languishing online poker industry of our country, and he used to spend more time in Costa Rica when he dated Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who now spends vacations with her husband, American football star quarterback Tom Brady, in a mansion located in Santa Teresa, province of Puntarenas.