Lee White is a gift of love -- and diplomacy -- for Earth
Ali Bongo (holding sunglasses) and Lee White
Relatively "tiny" Gabon represents hope for Africa -- and Earth!
Such scenes as this are becoming increasingly rare, as humans continue to "take over" natural areas anywhere and by any means!
Dear Fellow Earthlings,
Lee White is the Minister of the Environment for Gabon, an equatorial nation in Africa. White is careful in the wording he uses to express his ideas and opinions. His diplomatic approach, coupled with a resolve to do something to protect Gabon's natural resources, has endeared him with the Bongo family, who have ruled Gabon for the past 53 years. knowledgeable regarding the causes of Earth's plight, White -- who holds a PhD in zoology -- has combined his scientific insights and diplomatic skills into concrete actions that have led to palpable results.
Last year White was appointed by Ali Bongo, the current president of Gabon, to serve as Minister responsible for the environment -- including the responsibility for forest, sea, and climate. White is convinced that:
“Conservation is about people -- not about wildlife."
As White sees it, people are largely the cause of Earth's plight -- and need to be part of the solution. Regarding protecting the 40,000 or so elephants that still live in Gabon, White puts it quite succinctly, noting that it is PEOPLE who do not "leave the forests to grow" and who do not "leave the gorillas and elephants to look after themselves".
Dealing with people is politics. On this point, I could not agree more with Lee White.
He hopes that the remaining forests and elephants of Gabon can be managed wisely, sustainably. In addition, he is constantly striving to keep the ocean waters near Gabon as pollution-free as possible.
Working together with the late Omar Bongo, ruler of Gabon from 1967 to 2009 -- and after that with Omar's son Ali -- White has contributed to the significant degree of progress that has been made in blunting foreign efforts to exploit Gabon's natural wealth.
Specifically, White has to cope with corruption, the illegal ivory trade, the illegal mining of gold, and creating a more sustainable lumber harvesting program while protecting Gabon's oxygen-producing forests...among other concerns.
Thanks in large part to White's efforts Gabon, whose land area is only about 1% of Africa's total area, has 10% of Africa's remaining forests -- and some 60% of its forest elephants.
If only more human beings were as devoted and capable as Lee White!
Steve Walker
Earthsaver and Jingles Creator
© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.