sector where he aims to mainstream finance for the ecosystem services provided by forests.
- Wildlife Conservation Society (1992–2008): Served 15 years as Country Director in Gabon and for a time as Central Africa Director. Built WCS Gabon into a US$5 million /year programme and co-led the protected areas evaluation, which resulted in the creation of Gabon’s 13 National Parks.
- Director, Gabon National Parks Agency (2009–2019): Oversaw creation of 20 marine protected areas, fought ivory poaching, and dismantled an illegal forestry network diverting US$300 million annually from the Gabonese economy.
- Minister of Environment (2019–2023): Doubled Gabon’s timber economy to US$1 billion, secured a US$150 million REDD+ deal with Norway, structured a US$500 million Blue Bond, and represented Africa at COP26 and played a key role in the adoption of the 30x30agenda at CBD-15.
Science and Policy Impact
Lee has trained hundreds of young African scientists, authored 125 scientific papers, and written/edited 16 books and 30 book chapters. His long-term studies in Lopé National Park document climate change impacts on the Congo Basin, often called Africa’s “green heart.”
He also served as a climate change negotiator from 2008–2022, was one of the scribes of the Copenhagen Accord, a lead negotiator for Article 5 of the Paris Agreement, and part of the High Ambition Coalition that secured the 30×30
biodiversity pledge in Montreal.
Current Roles
Special Envoy ,Scientific Panel for the Congo Basin (SPCB): A network of 300+ scientists producing the first State of the Congo Basin report to guide global climate and biodiversity policy.
Board Member, Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI): An alliance of African nations and partners dedicated to conserving elephants and ending the ivory trade.
Board Member, C-TREES: A nonprofit providing independent, science-based monitoring of forest carbon for transparency in climate markets.
Co-founder, Pangea Nature Partners: A private sector initiative pioneering new financial mechanisms to make forests more valuable alive than dead by monetising their cooling and water-cycling services.
Honorary Professor: Within the Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling.
Publications and Recognition
He has authored peer-reviewed papers and books, including:
- Congo Basin rainforest — invest US$150 million in science. 2021. L. White et al.
Nature 598 (7881), p.411-414 - Asynchronous carbon sink saturation in African and Amazonian tropical forests.
2020. Hubau, et al. Nature 579 (7797):80-87 - A guide to the vegetation of the Lopé Reserve, Gabon. (1997) White, L. J. T. &
Abernethy, K. Wildlife Conservation Society, New York. 232 pp.
Lee was awarded a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 and Gabon’s National Order
of Merit (Chevalier in 2003, Officier in 2022).He was short-listed for the Indianapolis
Prize for Animal Conservation (2025) and his life’s work was featured in the 2024
Sky feature documentary “Gabon: Earth’s Last Chance”