Lee White (conservationist)

Lee White
White in 2021
Minister of Water, Forest, the Sea and Environment of Gabon
In office
2019–2023
PresidentAli Bongo Ondimba
Personal details
Born (1965-07-26) 26 July 1965
Manchester, United Kingdom

Lee James Taylor White CBE (born 26 July 1965) is a British-Gabonese conservationist and environmental policy expert who serves as Special Envoy to the Science Panel for the Congo Basin.[1] He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Stirling[2] and has authored more than 125 scientific papers and numerous books on the ecology and conservation of African rainforests.[3]

White served as the Gabonese Minister of Water, Forests, the Sea and Environment from 2019 to 2023, and [4][5][6] and has worked in the fields related to climate change, the preservation and management of natural resources, protected areas and ecotourism. White was tasked with managing deforestation and illegal logging and the country's population of African Forest Elephants.[7][8][9] He oversaw the creation of Gabon's carbon credits program in 2022.[10][11]

White was quoted by The New York Times as saying that without countries like Gabon leading in conservation as "examples of countries where we are solving the problems, then who is anyone else going to learn from?"[4] He was appointed Commander of the British Empire in the 2010 Birthday Honours for services to conservation. [12]

Following the 2023 Gabonese coup d'état, it was reported that White had been replaced as a government minister under the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions.[13]

In 2025, Dr. White was an Indianapolis Prize DeHaan Finalist.[14]

Career

White began his career working on conservation projects in West Africa, including the Tiwai Primate Project in Sierra Leone and work with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation.[15]

In 2009, he was appointed Executive Secretary of Gabon's National Parks Agency (ANPN), which manages the country's national park system.[15]

In June 2019, White was appointed Gabonese Minister of Water, Forests, the Sea and Environment.[16]

Science Panel for the Congo Basin

In 2024, White was appointed Special Envoy to the Science Panel for the Congo Basin (SPCB), an international scientific initiative focused on the conservation and sustainable management of the Congo Basin.[17] The panel brings together scientists and experts to assess biodiversity, ecosystems, and socio-economic conditions in the region.[18] As Special Envoy, White plays a diplomatic and strategic role in advancing the panel's visibility and was nominated for the Indianapolis Prize for conservation. [19]

In 2025, the SPCB released its first major publication, Congo Basin Assessment Report: Congo Basin Resilience and Sustainability, From the Past to the Future, a 800-page synthesis published by Springer. White served as one of the report’s Editors-in-Chief and was the lead author of the Executive Summary. [20] The SPCB aims to position the Congo Basin as central to global climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development efforts, while promoting increased investment in African-led scientific research and locally driven conservation strategies. [21]

References

  1. ↑ "Professor Lee White Appointed as Special Envoy to the Science Panel for the Congo Basin". Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  2. ↑ "Lee White". Google Scholar. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  3. ↑ "Professor Lee White CBE". Investing in Africa Forum. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 Searcey, Dionne; Bashizi, Arlette (3 November 2022). "Can a Nation Replace Its Oil Wealth With Trees?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  5. ↑ "Leading conservationist appointed to Gabon's government". The Independent. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  6. ↑ "Lee White out as Gabon's water and forest minister". www.qcintel.com. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  7. ↑ "Nothing will change on climate until death toll rises in west, says Gabonese minister". the Guardian. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  8. ↑ "How photos protected a country's forest elephants". BBC News. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  9. ↑ Collins, Tom. "Gabon sets example of how to preserve the Congo Basin rainforest". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  10. ↑ Kavanagh, Michael (14 October 2022). "Gabon Carbon Credits Seen Fetching as Much as $35 a Ton". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  11. ↑ "An African Forest Is on Front-line in Fighting Climate Change". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  12. ↑ "Stirling honours conservationist". University of Stirling. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "Gabon junta names former Eramet executive as petrol minister", Reuters. 9 September 2023.
  14. ↑ https://www.indianapoliszoo.com/prize/conservation-heroes/lee-james-taylor-white-ph-d/
  15. 1 2 "Lee James Taylor White, Ph.D." Indianapolis Prize. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  16. ↑ "Leading conservationist appointed to Gabon's government". The Independent. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  17. ↑ "Professor Lee White Appointed as Special Envoy to the Science Panel for the Congo Basin". Sustainable Development Solutions Network. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  18. ↑ "2025 Congo Basin Assessment Report Executive Summary". Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  19. ↑ Whitworth, Damian (22 October 2025). "Conservation with Kalashnikovs — the wild life of a dictator's zoologist". The Times. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  20. ↑ Lee J. T. White; Bila-Isia Inogwabini; Bonaventure Sonké (2025). 2025 Congo Basin Assessment Report: Executive Summary (PDF) (Report). Science Panel for the Congo Basin & Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  21. ↑ "Science Panel for the Congo Basin". Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
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