Webb, Leonard James (1920 - 2008)

Len Webb was born in Rockhampton, Queensland on on 28 October 1920. Died in Queensland on 25 November 2008.

He studied at the University of Queensland, gaining his B.Sc.(Hons.1) in 1947, M.Sc. in 1948 and Ph.D. in 1956.

For most of his professional life he was associated with the Australian CSIRO, retiring as Senior Principal Research Scientist in the CSIRO Rainforest Ecology Unit in 1980. He then began a long association with Griffith University as an Honorary Professor in its Division of Environmental Studies (now part of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences).

During his long career he has held many important national and international positions including Foundation Councillor of the Australian Conservation Foundation (1965); Vice-President, Queensland Wildlife Preservation Society (1963); Member of the UNESCO National Commission, Australia (1975-76); member of the Australian National Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Committee (1974-80); a contributor to an international study week on tropical forests at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in the Vatican City (1990); and a member of the Commission on Ecology of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)(1979-90).

He has authored or joint-authored over 112 scientific papers and chapters in several books and was co-editor of four books on nature conservation and the place of humans in the environment.

Among his many awards are the Inaugural Gold Medal of the Ecological Society of Australia (1983); the ANZAAS Mueller Medal (1983); BHP Pursuit of Excellence (Environment) Prize (1984); the appointment as Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 1987; and one of the 13 "Five Star Greens" honoured by Robyn Williams in the Special Environmental Issue of the Australian Way in January 1990. In 1991 he was recognised as Doctor of the University by Griffith University.

Access to the large collection of photos taken by Len over the years is available from the Griffith University website:
www.griffith.edu.au/ins/collections/webb/home.html

Source: Extracted from: Griffith University website, 2007, also photo
Biographical Dictionary of Botanists Represented in the Hunt Institue Portrait Collection, Hunt Botanical Library, USA, 1972