The global environmental community is mourning the loss of Simon Rietbergen, a distinguished forestry expert who dedicated his life to protecting the world's most vulnerable forests. Rietbergen passed away at 65 after battling multiple brain tumours, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of conservation work spanning decades.
A Life Dedicated to Forest Conservation
Born in The Hague, Netherlands, to primary school teachers Elisabeth de Bruijn and Evert Rietbergen, Simon's passion for environmental protection began early. He attended Dalton Den Haag, a bilingual international secondary school, before pursuing higher education in tropical forestry at Wageningen University, where he earned both his BSc and MSc degrees.
His professional journey commenced in 1986 as a senior forestry research associate at the International Institute for Environment and Development in London. It was here in 1991 that he met and married Jennifer McCracken, a fellow researcher specialising in natural resource management issues across the global south.
International Career and Leadership
Rietbergen's expertise took him across the world's leading environmental institutions. From 1992 to 1997, he served as a senior forestry research specialist at the World Bank in Washington DC. He then moved to Switzerland, working as senior forest conservation programme officer at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature from 1997 to 2007.
Between 2007 and 2009, he contributed as senior project manager at the Prince's Rainforest Project in London. His final role began in 2014 as senior forestry expert at the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome.
Colleagues remember Rietbergen not just for his technical expertise but for his exceptional leadership skills. He excelled at managing complex, multi-level forestry projects, balancing external policy engagement with internal team support while maintaining his characteristic good humour.
The Great Green Wall Legacy
One of Rietbergen's final and most significant achievements was launching the $150 million African-led Great Green Wall Initiative in July 2025. This ambitious project aims to combat deforestation by re-establishing vegetation along a 5,000-mile band across Africa's Sahel region.
The initiative's launch culminated years of dedicated work, during which Rietbergen led and managed teams across eight Sahel countries. His approach consistently focused on developing progressive strategies for tropical forest protection that respected the lives and livelihoods of local communities dependent on these ecosystems.
Simon Rietbergen is survived by his wife Jennifer, their children Emma, Sam and Lily, and his brothers Evert Jan and Hans. His contributions to forest conservation continue through the countless projects he influenced and the colleagues he inspired throughout his distinguished career.
