Stephen Hopper

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Australian botanist

title: "Stephen Hopper" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1951-births", "living-people", "20th-century-australian-botanists", "21st-century-australian-scientists", "21st-century-australian-botanists", "australian-taxonomists", "botanists-active-in-australia", "botanists-active-in-kew-gardens", "botanists-with-author-abbreviations", "botany-in-western-australia", "companions-of-the-order-of-australia", "fellows-of-the-australian-academy-of-technological-sciences-and-engineering", "fellows-of-the-linnean-society-of-london", "scientists-from-western-australia", "academic-staff-of-the-university-of-western-australia", "university-of-western-australia-alumni"] description: "Australian botanist" topic_path: "science/biology" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hopper" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Australian botanist ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox scientist"]

FieldValue
nameStephen Donald Hopper
birth_date18 June 1951
fieldsBotany, Conservation Biology, Eucalyptus, Haemodoraceae
workplacesUniversity of Western Australia, Kings Park, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
thesis_titleSpeciation in the Kangaroo Paws of South-western Australia: (Anigozanthos and Macropidia: Haemodoraceae).
thesis_urlhttps://books.google.com.au/books?id=IKY5GwAACAAJ
nationalityAustralian
known_forOCBIL Theory (old, climatically-buffered, infertile landscapes)
author_abbrev_botHopper
honorific suffix
::

| name = Stephen Donald Hopper | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_date = 18 June 1951 | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | education = | fields = Botany, Conservation Biology, Eucalyptus, Haemodoraceae | title = | spouse = | parents = | workplaces = University of Western Australia, Kings Park, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew | thesis_title = Speciation in the Kangaroo Paws of South-western Australia: (Anigozanthos and Macropidia: Haemodoraceae). | thesis_url = https://books.google.com.au/books?id=IKY5GwAACAAJ | nationality = Australian | known_for = OCBIL Theory (old, climatically-buffered, infertile landscapes) | author_abbrev_bot = Hopper | honorary suffix = | honorific suffix = Stephen Donald Hopper (born 18 June 1951){{cite news | title = Birthdays | newspaper = The Guardian | pages = 41 | date = 18 June 2014}} is a Western Australian botanist. He graduated in biology, specialising in conservation biology and vascular plants. Hopper has written eight books, and has over 200 publications to his name. He was Director of Kings Park in Perth for seven years, and CEO of the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority for five. He is currently Foundation Professor of Plant Conservation Biology at The University of Western Australia. He was director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew from 2006 to 2012.

This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Hopper when citing a botanical name.

Research

Hopper published his early research on the systematics and speciation of the family Haemodoraceae, including kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos), which formed the basis of his PhD at the University of Western Australia in 1978. He subsequently worked on the conservation, ecology, and taxonomy of Western Australian flora, including eucalypts, orchids, and plants of granite outcrops.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Hopper’s research extended to plant biogeography and conservation management, emphasising the flora of south-western Australia. In 2009 he developed OCBIL theory (old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes), proposing evolutionary and ecological processes distinctive to ancient, nutrient-poor regions.

Honours

On 1 January 2001, the Australian government awarded Hopper the Centenary Medal for his "service to the community". On 11 June 2012, Hopper was named a Companion of the Order of Australia for "eminent service as a global science leader in the field of plant conservation biology, particularly in the delivery of world class research programs contributing to the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems." He was also inducted into the Western Australia Science Hall of Fame in the same year.

Albany

In 2015, he moved to Albany, Western Australia, and he has returned to his interest in Anigozanthus. In 2025 he published a book on the genus Eucalyptus that examines Aboriginal knowledge and Western Science relating to the genus.

Selected works

  • Gondwanan heritage (1996)
  • Eucalyptus (2025)

with Jane Sampson:

  • Endangered poison plants (1989)

with Anne Taylor:

with Bert and Babs Wells:

  • Kangaroo paws and catspaws (1993)

with illustrator Philippa Nikulinsky:

  • Soul of the Desert (2005)
  • Life on the Rocks (2008)

References

References

  1. "Director (CEO & Chief Scientist) – Professor Stephen D Hopper AC FLS FTSE". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. (1992). "Authors of Plant Names". [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]].
  3. "Stephen Hopper".
  4. Hopper, Stephen D.. (2009-09-01). "OCBIL theory: towards an integrated understanding of the evolution, ecology and conservation of biodiversity on old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes". Plant and Soil.
  5. "Stephen Donald Hopper". [[Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia).
  6. (11 June 2012). "Companion (AC) in the General Division of the Order of Australia – The Queen's Birthday 2012 Honours Lists". [[Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia]].
  7. (2025-07-31). "WA Science Hall of Fame Inductees".
  8. (15 January 2016). "'Heaven on Earth' in a botanist's garden".
  9. Laurie, Victoria. (2025-10-03). "The humble scientist who became the world's greatest eucalypt expert".
  10. (1996). "Gondwanan heritage : past, present, and future of the Western Australian biota". Surrey Beatty & Sons in association with Australian Systematic Botany Society and Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Western Australia.
  11. Hopper, Stephen D.. (2025). "Eucalyptus". Reaktion Books, Limited.
  12. (1989). "Survey of endangered poison plants of Western Australia : field guide". Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management in association with the World Wildlife Fund Australia.
  13. (1991). "The banksia atlas". Australian Govt. Pub. Service.
  14. (1993). "Kangaroo paws and catspaws : a natural history and field guide". Dept. of Conservation and Land Management.
  15. (2005). "Soul of the Desert". Fremantle Arts Centre Press.
  16. (2008). "Life on the rocks : the art of survival". Fremantle Press.

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1951-birthsliving-people20th-century-australian-botanists21st-century-australian-scientists21st-century-australian-botanistsaustralian-taxonomistsbotanists-active-in-australiabotanists-active-in-kew-gardensbotanists-with-author-abbreviationsbotany-in-western-australiacompanions-of-the-order-of-australiafellows-of-the-australian-academy-of-technological-sciences-and-engineeringfellows-of-the-linnean-society-of-londonscientists-from-western-australiaacademic-staff-of-the-university-of-western-australiauniversity-of-western-australia-alumni