Leonardo DiCaprio has announced plans to build a luxury ecotourism resort on the island he purchased in 2005.
The 40-year-old actor and environmentalist said Friday that he wants to turn Blackadore Caye, a 104-acre island off the coast of Belize, into an environmentally friendly haven for tourists.
But he also wants to help the island heal from overfishing, erosion and deforestation.
"The main focus is to do something that will change the world," DiCaprio told The New York Times. "I couldn't have gone to Belize and built on an island and done something like this, if it weren't for the idea that it could be groundbreaking in the environmental movement."
DiCaprio said the resort will be built on a platform over the water. It will include artificial reefs, fish shelters and a manatee conservation area.
"My goal was always the fact that I wanted to create something not just environmental, but restorative," he said. "A showcase for what is possible."
A group of scientists will study the resort's environmental impact on the island.
DiCaprio bought Blackadore Caye in 2005 for $1.75 million. He also plans to build 48 private homes on the island, which will sell for $5 to $15 million each.
DiCaprio, an ardent environmentalist, was named a United Nations ambassador for climate change in Sept. 2014.
The Blackadore Caye resort is set to open in 2016.
Source: UPI