Vale John Leigh Vetter

John Leigh as Chairman of the 55th session of the International Tropical Timber Council in Lomé, Togo in 2019. Photo: R. Carrillo/ITTO

Yokohama, Japan, 13 February 2023: ITTO deeply mourns former staff member Mr John Leigh, who died in his home city of Lima, Peru, on Sunday 12 February 2023, aged 69. Mr Leigh, who joined the ITTO Secretariat in 1992, served as Conservation Officer from 1995 until his retirement in 2016.

Mr Leigh’s duties included ensuring that conservation concerns were given appropriate consideration in the implementation of ITTO projects, monitoring such projects, and promoting ITTO guidelines for the conservation and sustainable management of tropical forests.

Mr Leigh was appointed Executive Director of Peru’s National Forestry and Wildlife Service in 2016 and held the position until 2019; he also served as vice-Chair and Chair of the International Tropical Timber Council in 2018–19 when he led the Council through a series of sensitive debates. At the time of his sudden demise, Mr Leigh was Chair of the ITTO Expert Panel for Technical Appraisal of Project and Pre-Project Proposals and a member of the Board of Directors of the Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation. He held a Master of Science in Forestry from the University of Toronto.

John was a much-loved member of the ITTO family, a larger-than-life character with a passion for life, a great love of family and friends, a wonderful sense of humour and a lifelong commitment to sustainable forestry. He was well-known internationally, especially in ITTO member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. He will be greatly missed, not only in the official meetings of ITTO and others that he contributed so much to, but also in the after-hours gatherings to which his contributions were equally renowned.

Anyone wishing to forward a message of condolence to the Leigh family can send it to itto@itto.int with the subject “John Leigh”, and the Secretariat will ensure it is conveyed. 

May John’s soul rest in eternal peace.