Leonardo DiCaprio has never won an Oscar, it's true, yet he is helping to save the planet, putting both his passion and his capital to work.

The actor has for years been actively committed to protecting the environment through his foundation, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, and has been appointed "messenger of peace" by the United Nations with the aim of raising global awareness of climate change.

On Tuesday, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation announced that it had donated 15 million dollars to fund several environmental organisations, leading conservation projects around the world, including Amazon Watch, Save the Elephants, Tree People and WWF.

"The destruction of our planet continues at a pace we can no longer afford to ignore," DiCaprio declared. "I am proud to support these organisations that are working to win the greatest challenge facing humankind."

The funds allocated by the Hollywood star's foundation will be used to protect key endangered species, such as mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) in Virunga National Park and tigers (Panthera tigris) in Nepal, as well as precious marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and to strengthen indigenous communities so that they can continue to steward natural resources.

"Mountain gorillas are endangered," said Emmanuel de Mérode, director of Virunga National Park. "The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation is helping to restore a population of fundamental importance, while also fostering local development and stability among the communities living around the park."

Since 2010, the Foundation, established by DiCaprio in 1998 following the success of Titanic, has funded more than 70 projects in over forty countries.

"The Foundation's pioneering vision of investing in an indigenous movement for rainforest conservation is providing indispensable support to Ecuador," explained Mitch Anderson, founder of Clearwater. "Thanks to this support, we are protecting millions of hectares of tropical rainforest by empowering indigenous communities and teaching them to resist extractive industries."

For an actor, the Oscar is the greatest accolade, and DiCaprio, despite the outstanding performances he has delivered under Scorsese's direction, has never won one — yet actively contributing to the protection of gorillas, tigers, forests and oceans is more rewarding than a 24-carat gold-plated statuette to keep on the mantelpiece.