PUMPING HEART OF AFRICA: Congo Basin loss could trigger water wars across Africa — ex-Gabon minister Lee White
Conservation scientist Lee White reflects on four decades spent creating Gabon’s national parks, tackling illegal logging and confronting the failures of global carbon markets.
Former Gabon environment minister Professor Lee White warns that Africa's Congo Basin, dubbed the "pumping heart of Africa," must be protected to avoid triggering water wars across the continent. The basin generates atmospheric rivers, vast streams of moisture that sustain agriculture from the Sahel to the Ethiopian Highlands. If the forest is lost, White argues, Africa's water cycle could collapse.
His warnings, rooted in a life shaped by extraordinary experiences, include a childhood in Uganda where he witnessed his father's political rival threaten to kill him. Despite a career as a scientist and conservationist in Gabon, White eventually became the country's minister of environment. His tenure saw him tackle illegal logging, which was fueling the elephant poaching crisis.
By 2009, under his leadership, a network of 13 national parks was created, marking a turning point for conservation. Later, White was appointed head of the National Parks Agency, where he built the organization and trained rangers to combat poaching. The agency's success led to his appointment as Gabon's Minister of Water, Forests, Environment and the Oceans in 2019.
However, the real cost of illegal logging was felt locally, as government-licensed loggers invaded communities, destroying their hunting, fishing, and farming grounds.
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