On behalf of the WOCAN Staff and Board of Directors, it is with a heavy heart that we announce the untimely passing of our dear friend and colleague, Linda Mossop, WOCAN Coordinator for South Africa/Africa. We are deeply saddened by her sudden loss and extend our sincere condolences to her family and friends around the world. Linda was a very highly respected and beloved member of the global community of forestry professionals, and was a rare women leader that had extensive experience in government, private and NGO sectors. She met Jeannette in 2003, at the UN Forum on Forests meeting while representing the South African Delegation to the UNFF and became one of its early members in 2004. WOCAN was very fortunate to count Linda as one of its staunchest supporters and to have her services as the Coordinator in 2014. Linda possessed extraordinary skills of consensus building and leadership, demonstrated through her high level positions with the South Africa government, South African Forestry Company Ltd (SAFCOL) and as founder and Governing Council member of the Africa Forest Forum.
She will be greatly missed by the WOCAN family that had looked forward to her leadership in expanding our African activities in 2015. Her death is a loss to South Africa, Africa and the world. Condolences may be sent to info@wocan.org, for us to forward to her family.