Leonardo DiCaprio oversees auction to fund green campaigns

Leonardo DiCaprio is teaming up with a top auction house to sell off an impressive collection of art to raise funds for conservation causes.

The Titanic actor will work with staff at Christie's in New York for The 11th Hour Auction, which includes 33 works by the likes of Banksy, Peter Beard and Julian Schnabel.

The money raised by the sale will fund innovative conservation projects chosen by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and an expert panel of environmentalists.

In statement on his official website, the star writes, "My Foundation has worked on environmental issues since 1998, and despite the great efforts by organizations all over the world, our planet is in trouble. The modern world is placing enormous pressure on the very natural systems that sustain us; we are destroying our forests, polluting the air and water, over fishing our oceans and facing overwhelming extinction rates of plants and animals. Nature is abundant and it is resilient, but we have to take action now to protect our planet before it's too late. Given that less than 2% of philanthropic giving goes to environmental conservation projects, we are grateful that Christie's and the participating artists are providing this incredible opportunity."

The auction will take place at Christie's in New York on Monday (13May13).