Lex Thomson

Dr Lex Thomson is a dual Australian/Fijian citizen. He currently works as an agroforestry and forest scientist, botanist and rural development advisor. Lex is the Chief Technical Advisor for a GEF-FAO Ridge to Reef project in Kiribati and an associate of the Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research, where formerly an Associate Professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Lex has a life-long interest in conservation of forest genetic resources, including being a childhood proponent of revegetation using indigenous plants in urban areas. Lex’s professional career has focused on research & development, utilization, management and conservation of tropical tree species and forest genetic resources including in more than 40 countries. Over the past three decades, Dr Thomson has also worked extensively on forestry, agroforestry, farm forestry and agricultural production systems including development of export markets and impacts of climate change on Pacific Islands agricultural and forestry produce. Dr Thomson has consulted and worked for FAO, UNDP, AusAID, ACIAR, Global Crop Diversity Trust, ICRAF, Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, DANIDA, DANCED, Government of Fiji and private sector (including Shell Renewables, Alcoa, Fortech/ AACM, URS Sustainable Development, Quintis, Summit Estate and Pacific Australia Reforestation Co Ltd/ Pacific Reforestation (Fiji) Ltd. Lex is the Author of the report ‘Conserving and using tree diversity for global climate change adaptation and food system resilience’, launched at GLF Climate 2022.