# Stephen Hopper

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Australian botanist

Stephen Donald Hopper AC FTSE Born (1951-06-18) 18 June 1951 (age 75) Known for OCBIL Theory (old, climatically-buffered, infertile landscapes) Scientific career Fields Botany, Conservation Biology, Eucalyptus, Haemodoraceae Institutions University of Western Australia, Kings Park, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Thesis Speciation in the Kangaroo Paws of South-western Australia: (Anigozanthos and Macropidia: Haemodoraceae). Author abbrev. (botany) Hopper

[Scholia](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Scholia) has an *author* profile for ***[Stephen Hopper](https://iw.toolforge.org/scholia/author/Q2082700)***.

**Stephen Donald Hopper** (born 18 June 1951)[1] is a [Western Australian](/source/Western_Australia) [botanist](/source/Botanist). He graduated in biology, specialising in [conservation biology](/source/Conservation_biology) and vascular plants. Hopper has written eight books, and has over 200 publications to his name. He was Director of [Kings Park](/source/Kings_Park%2C_Western_Australia) in [Perth](/source/Perth%2C_Western_Australia) for seven years, and [CEO](/source/CEO) of the [Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority](/source/Botanic_Gardens_and_Parks_Authority) for five. He is currently Foundation Professor of Plant Conservation Biology at The [University of Western Australia](/source/University_of_Western_Australia). He was director of the [Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew](/source/Royal_Botanic_Gardens%2C_Kew) from 2006 to 2012.[2]

This botanist is denoted by the [author abbreviation](/source/List_of_botanists_by_author_abbreviation) **Hopper** when [citing](/source/Author_citation_(botany)) a [botanical name](/source/Botanical_name).[3]

## Research

Hopper published his early research on the systematics and speciation of the family [Haemodoraceae](/source/Haemodoraceae), including kangaroo paws (*[Anigozanthos](/source/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.[4]

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 the [OCBIL theory](/source/OCBIL_theory) (old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes), proposing evolutionary and ecological processes distinctive to ancient, nutrient-poor regions.[5]

## Honours

On 1 January 2001, the Australian government awarded Hopper the [Centenary Medal](/source/Centenary_Medal) for his "service to the community".[6] On 11 June 2012, Hopper was named a Companion of the [Order of Australia](/source/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."[7] He was also inducted into the Western Australia Science Hall of Fame in the same year.[8]

## Albany

In 2015, he moved to [Albany, Western Australia](/source/Albany%2C_Western_Australia), and he has returned to his interest in *[Anigozanthus](/source/Anigozanthus)*.[9] In 2025 he published a book on the genus [Eucalyptus](/source/Eucalyptus) that examines Aboriginal knowledge and Western Science relating to the genus.[10][11]

## Selected works

- *Gondwanan heritage* (1996)[12]

- *Eucalyptus* (2025)[10]

with Jane Sampson:

- *Endangered poison plants* (1989)[13]

with Anne Taylor:

- *[The Banksia Atlas](/source/The_Banksia_Atlas)* (1991)[14]

with Bert and Babs Wells:

- *Kangaroo paws and catspaws* (1993)[15]

with illustrator [Philippa Nikulinsky](/source/Philippa_Nikulinsky):

- *Soul of the Desert* (2005)[16]

- *Life on the Rocks* (2008)[17]

The standard [author abbreviation](/source/List_of_botanists_by_author_abbreviation_(A)) Hopper is used to indicate this person as the author when [citing](/source/Author_citation_(botany)) a [botanical name](/source/Botanical_name).[18]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** "Birthdays". *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*. 18 June 2014. p. 41.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Kew_history_2-0)** ["Director (CEO & Chief Scientist) – Professor Stephen D Hopper AC FLS FTSE"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140309010719/http://www.kew.org/about-kew/history-heritage/director-stephen-hopper/). *History & Heritage*. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived from [the original](http://www.kew.org/about-kew/history-heritage/director-stephen-hopper/) on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Brummitt, R K; Powell, C E (1992). *Authors of Plant Names*. [Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew](/source/Royal_Botanic_Gardens%2C_Kew). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-84246-085-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-84246-085-4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Stephen Hopper"](https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/persons/stephen-hopper/). *the UWA Profiles and Research Repository*. Retrieved 8 November 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Hopper, Stephen D. (1 September 2009). ["OCBIL theory: towards an integrated understanding of the evolution, ecology and conservation of biodiversity on old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes"](https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-009-0068-0). *Plant and Soil*. **322** (1): 49–86. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2009PlSoi.322...49H](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009PlSoi.322...49H). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1007/s11104-009-0068-0](https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs11104-009-0068-0). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1573-5036](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1573-5036).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Stephen Donald Hopper"](https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1124040). [Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet](/source/Department_of_the_Prime_Minister_and_Cabinet_(Australia)). Retrieved 11 June 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Companion (AC) in the General Division of the Order of Australia – The Queen's Birthday 2012 Honours Lists"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120616221648/http://www.gg.gov.au/res/file/2012/honours/qb2012/Media%20Notes%20AC%20%28final%29.pdf) (PDF). [Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia](/source/Official_Secretary_to_the_Governor-General_of_Australia). 11 June 2012. p. [5](http://www.gg.gov.au/res/file/2012/honours/qb2012/Media%20Notes%20AC%20(final).pdf#page=5). Archived from [the original](http://www.gg.gov.au/res/file/2012/honours/qb2012/Media%20Notes%20AC%20(final).pdf) (PDF) on 16 June 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["WA Science Hall of Fame Inductees"](https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-energy-and-economic-diversification/wa-science-hall-of-fame-inductees). *www.wa.gov.au*. 31 July 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["'Heaven on Earth' in a botanist's garden"](http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/talkingplants/heaven-on-earth-in-a-botanists-garden/7090896). *[Australian Broadcasting Corporation](/source/Australian_Broadcasting_Corporation)*. 15 January 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_10-1) Hopper, Stephen D. (2025). *Eucalyptus*. Botanical Series. London EC1V 0HE: Reaktion Books, Limited. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-83639-111-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-83639-111-1).{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: location ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Laurie, Victoria (3 October 2025). ["The humble scientist who became the world's greatest eucalypt expert"](https://www.theage.com.au/national/the-humble-scientist-who-became-the-world-s-greatest-eucalypt-expert-20250924-p5mxhg.html). *The Age*. Retrieved 31 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Hopper, Stephen D (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, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-949324-66-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-949324-66-5)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Sampson, Jane; Hopper, Stephen; Rainbird, John; Western Australian Wildlife Research Centre (1989), [*Survey of endangered poison plants of Western Australia : field guide*](http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/23216594), Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management in association with the World Wildlife Fund Australia, retrieved 17 January 2016

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Taylor, Anne; Hopper, Stephen D; Western Australia. Department of Conservation and Land Management; Australia. Bureau of Flora and Fauna (1991), *The banksia atlas* (Repr. with amendments ed.), Australian Govt. Pub. Service, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-644-07124-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-644-07124-6)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Hopper, Stephen D; Wells, Babs; Wells, Bert; Western Australia. Department of Conservation and Land Management (1993), *Kangaroo paws and catspaws : a natural history and field guide*, Dept. of Conservation and Land Management, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7309-5913-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7309-5913-7)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Nikulinsky, Philippa; Hopper, Stephen D; Nikulinsky, Philippa (2005), *Soul of the Desert*, Fremantle Arts Centre Press, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-921064-06-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-921064-06-7)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Nikulinsky, Philippa; Hopper, Stephen D (2008), *Life on the rocks : the art of survival* (Reissued casebound ed.), Fremantle Press, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-921361-28-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-921361-28-9)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** [International Plant Names Index](/source/International_Plant_Names_Index). [*Hopper*](https://www.ipni.org/search?q=author%20std%3AHopper).

v t e Directors of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew William Aiton William Townsend Aiton Sir William Jackson Hooker Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker Sir William Thiselton-Dyer Sir David Prain Sir Arthur Hill Sir Geoffrey Evans (acting) Sir Edward Salisbury Sir George Taylor Jack Heslop-Harrison Professor Patrick Brenan Professor Arthur Bell Sir Ghillean Prance Sir Peter Crane Professor Stephen D. Hopper Richard Deverell

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF WorldCat National United States France BnF data Netherlands Latvia Academics International Plant Names Index ORCID ResearcherID Scopus People Trove Other IdRef SNAC

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