Press Release

New Director for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

LONDON, FRIDAY 19 May 2006: Today, Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, announced the appointment of a new Director; Professor Stephen D. Hopper, currently Foundation Professor of Plant Conservation Biology at the University of Western Australia, and former Director of Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Perth. Professor Hopper will take over from Professor Sir Peter Crane in October this year. Peter Crane is leaving Kew after seven years as Director in order to return to his home in Chicago to become John and Marion Sullivan University Professor at the University of Chicago.

Professor Hopper has an impressive reputation and broad experience in plant science and plant conservation. He is the author of more than 200 publications, including eight books. He is a passionate conservation biologist and has been engaged in practical plant conservation for almost 30 years. For seven years he was Director of King's Park and Botanic Garden in Perth, followed by five years as CEO of the Botanic Gardens & Parks Authority, an Australian Government body run by an independent Board. Professor Hopper, who is married with three children, is already well-known to some of the staff at Kew, and participated in the 2001 Science Audit, which provided an introduction to the breadth of Kew 's scientific work.

Lord Selborne, Chairman of Trustees at Kew, said, “We are fortunate to have found in Stephen Hopper an unusual combination of excellence in plant science research and conservation, coupled with in-depth experience of managing a large and complex visitor attraction. We look forward to working with Professor Hopper in the years ahead and especially the planning leading up to Kew 's 250th Anniversary celebrations in 2009.”

Professor Hopper has a proven track record in attracting funding to the organisations for which he works, and has successfully managed stakeholder relationships through a period of change and development at Kings Park and Botanic Garden. This experience, together with his strong background in science and plant conservation, will be invaluable at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He said, “I am delighted to accept the post at Kew. With its worldwide profile, important national and local presence, and rich diversity of botanical and mycological programmes, Kew is superbly placed to speak for, inspire and demonstrate best practice in plant conservation – the basis of life on earth, and one of the world's greatest challenges.”

Ends

Notes for Editors

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew , is responsible for the world's largest collection of living plants; two major visitor attractions at Kew and Wakehurst Place in Sussex; historic collections assembled over 250 years; and vital scientific programmes that reach out across the world in support of biodiversity and conservation. The organisation employs more than 650 scientists and other staff. The living collections include more than 30,000 different kinds of plants, while the herbarium, which is the largest in the world, has over 7 million preserved plant specimens. The library contains more than 750,000 volumes, and the illustrations collection contains more than 175,000 prints and drawings of plants. The Kew site includes four Grade I listed buildings and 36 Grade II listed structures in an internationally significant landscape. In July 2003, after much preparatory work, Kew Gardens was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Gardens are supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), who provide 60 per cent of the funds required to run the organisation.

Professor Stephen Hopper

Research:
Evolutionary, systematic and conservation studies on plants of Australia; evolution of Mediterranean-climate plants; pollination ecology, flora conservation, and conservation genetics of Australian flora; collaborative international programmes on granite outcrop floras; eight books and numerous papers; currently developing and testing new theory on the evolution and conservation of biodiversity on the world's oldest landscapes; various public positions, including membership of the Western Australian Premier's Science Council, which advises Government on science policy, innovation and communication.

Management:
Kings Park and Botanic Garden is a 400 hectare public reserve incorporating a botanic garden, situated within walking distance of Perth 's city centre. It is Western Australia 's most frequently used tourist and outdoor recreation venue. Professor Hopper over 12 years led the delivery of improvements to programs and infrastructure at Kings Park and Botanic Garden to world-class standards.

Professor Sir Peter Crane
The period of Sir Peter's tenure at Kew has seen momentous development and change. In 2003 the Gardens were inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Its scientific and conservation programmes have been strengthened at home and abroad. The Millennium Seed Bank project is now working with partners from 17 countries from its base at Kew's country estate, Wakehurst Place, to secure long-term conservation of more than 20,000 plant species. Vast, newly created, electronic databases are dispersing Kew's knowledge freely throughout the scientific world, and staff are active in over 40 overseas countries, working with local communities and specialists on conservation and biodiversity projects. Meanwhile, over the past six years, Kew and Wakehurst Place have reached out more effectively to family audiences. Attendance at Kew has increased from 862,000 in 1999/00 to1.31 million in 2005/06. At Wakehurst attendance has increased from 275,000 in 1999/00 to 420,000 in 2005/06. Sir Peter departs Kew for his new position at The University of Chicago in September 2006.

Further information

Sue Runyard, Head of Corporate Communications & PR, Royal Botanic Gardens , Kew
Tel 020 8332 5681. E: s.runyard@kew.org

Contact in Australia :

Professor Stephen Hopper, School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia
Tel +61 8 6488 1647. E: steve.hopper@uwa.edu.au.

For further Press information please contact: