In Memoriam
John Spears (1928-2018)
Shakespeare said: “Be great in act, as you have been in thought”—that was John.
John Spears’ contributions to the world of forestry and sustainable development are huge and his influence extensive. That influence came from the kind of a person John was. His colleagues and friends through the years called him: a giant among giants in international forestry, an inspiration, a mentor, a brilliant raconteur and strategic thinker, yet very funny and a lighthearted optimist. John was young at heart and learnt and evolved continuously. He thought “outside the box.” He had a continuously evolving vision of how forests could contribute more to humankind.
John’s many path-breaking contributions to global forestry were based on, in addition to his infectious personality, a solid foundation of good forestry education (the University of Wales in Bangor, Oxford, and the University of British Columbia), combined with a lengthy on-the-ground practical experience ( in Kenya, during the period 1953-1966, and also in many other parts of the world for shorter periods of time).
His formal career path in international forestry took him from the Kenyan Forest Service, where his position was Conservator of Forests for overall Development, on to UNFAO in Rome, where he was working with the FAO-World Bank Cooperative Program, with a focus on collaboration between World Bank projects and the FAO forestry program, among other things.
John moved on to the World Bank in Washington, where he was appointed the Senior Forestry Advisor under Robert McNamara, who introduced forestry formally into the Bank with John’s help. John was an incredibly pro-active forestry advisor. He led the dialogue in the 1970s which resulted in the Bank decision to invest in the forest sector. He co-authored the World Bank’s first Forest Policy (1978) which provided the conceptual underpinning for the Bank’s forest lending. He promoted the development of national forests, agroforestry, social forestry, and forest industry development through Bank investments in numerous developing and transition countries. John had a broad, balanced view of forest conservation as sustainable management of forests, including both for biodiversity protection and for wise use of forests.
During his long formal career, John did not hold any major decision-making positions. Rather he accomplished what he saw as the way forward through persuasion. He had the perfect personality to persuade people because he was so enthusiastic about what he believed in, yet basically a modest person who gave credit where credit was due, and sometimes even where it was not due, in order to get a positive decision.
He recognized early on that progress in world forestry depended strategically on getting the right input and investment from the private sector. But he also recognized that securing private sector investments in forestry is a hard nut to crack. So, John took on the challenge. As one example of his accomplishments, he conceived of the Forest Investment Forum, as a platform where private investors would come into contact with development partners, such as the World Bank, and identify promising investment opportunities. Then, for the first forest investment forum, he articulated a 3-day program—with keynote speakers, breakout sessions, discussion forums, facilitators and panelists—off the cuff! He had the remarkable talent of conceiving of the appropriate sessions and, drawing from his prodigious memory on the appropriate resource people, and putting them together into a masterful creation.
Anticipating that forests would someday become an important source of renewable energy, John helped shape a Shell International Petroleum Company decision in the 1980’s, to invest in forestry around the world.
John ended his formal career in the World Bank in 1990, but his leadership on forestry issues kept on going stronger than ever. He immediately took on a consulting role as Senior Advisor on natural Resources in the Secretariat for the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (the CGIAR), housed in the World Bank. During the early nineties John led a task force resulting in the establishment of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and entry of the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) into the CGIAR.
Of note are John’s accomplishments during his stint 1997-1999 as Secretary General of the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development. He organized Regional Public Hearings on Forests throughout the world to obtain the widest perspectives on how global forests should be managed and for whose benefit. He was one of the principal authors of the Commission’s Report “Our Forests Our Future” that established the link between forestry, poverty, and environmental governance.[1]
John’s achievements extended well beyond the positions he occupied over the years. It is a role he carved out for himself with his dedication and personality. For example, John was an active member of the group which established the multi- donor Forest Investment Fund at the World Bank, in support of Climate Change Mitigation, and the REDD+ (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) Initiative. With John’s background and rich experience in the colonial forest service and the private sector, combined with his unusual intellectual capacity, he was a central player on the international forestry scene. He was instrumental in a number of initiatives, such the Tropical Forestry Action Program attached to FAO. He was also an active partner in the Forest Advisors Group, working with the forest advisors from the leading aid agencies supporting the forestry sector globally.
John was an outstanding mentor to the younger foresters. He taught mainly by example, followed by a few words of insight. (He would recite Henry Ford’s:” whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.” John would add: “so don’t ever think you can’t.”) John was above all an optimist. He was a focused person, yet intellectually curious about everything. He loved people and saw something interesting in everyone. His interest in all people and helping people help themselves was one of the reasons he was so successful in the field.
John had a commitment to mentoring the new and the uninitiated, to help them find their feet and to confidently operate in the rough-and-tumble world of international development. His love of mentoring was an expression of his broader approach to life—a willingness to listen to all people, to advise them when he thought it to be helpful, and to draw upon their ideas when they made sense. He was truly a “people’s person”, with the gift to converse easily with the young and the old alike and putting them at ease in the process. John also was a strong supporter of forestry education, For example, as a member of the Pew Foundation Board he promoted forest related courses in university curricula.
In giving him the Honorary Doctor of Science degree, the Academic Panel at the University of British Columbia described him as follows: “over the past 30 years people of the world and specifically leaders of governments and international organizations have gained a new appreciation of the critical role forests play as sources of health, biodiversity, and economic and social well-being. No individual has contributed more to advancing that enlightened view than John Spears.”
The above and much more, characterized John Spears, one of the most influential professional foresters at a time when the world view needed shifting from a sole focus on industrial forestry to one that gave equal focus to social forestry and forest ecosystem services. However, while John’s professional accomplishments were outstanding, what was most impressive was John’s undiminished enthusiasm for life, his love of people, and his optimism about the future of mankind in relation to the world in which we live.
What great fortune and privilege to have had such a warm-hearted friend, mentor and colleague as John Spears.
Submitted by colleagues and friends: Uma Lele, Lennart Ljungman, Nalin Kishor, Peter Dewees, Chip Rowe, Ralph Roberts, Hosny El Lakany, and Hans Gregersen.
[1] https://www.iisd.org/library/our-forests-our-future-summary-report
