Nationality British Awards Patron's Gold Medal Fields Botany | Role Botanist Name Ghillean Prance | |
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Born July 13, 1937 (age 86)
Brandeston, Suffolk, England ( 1937-07-13 ) Institutions New York Botanical Garden (1963–1988) Known for Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1988–1999) Notable awards Linnean Medal (1990)
International Cosmos Prize (1993)
Fellow of the Royal Society Books That Glorious Forest: Exploring the Plants and Their Indigenous Uses in Amazonia Education Keble College, Oxford, Malvern College, University of Oxford | ||
Rampisham down comments from professor sir ghillean prance botanist
Sir Ghillean Tolmie Prance FRS FLS FRSB (born 13 July 1937) is a prominent British botanist and ecologist who has published extensively on the taxonomy of families such as Chrysobalanaceae and Lecythidaceae, but drew particular attention in documenting the pollination ecology of Victoria amazonica. Prance is a former Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Contents
- Rampisham down comments from professor sir ghillean prance botanist
- Professor sir ghillean prance towards global sustainability a faith perspective
- Early life
- Career
- Later work
- Honours
- Legacy
- Video
- References
Professor sir ghillean prance towards global sustainability a faith perspective
Early life
Prance was born on 13 July 1937 in Brandeston, Suffolk, England. He was educated at Malvern College and Keble College, Oxford. In 1957, he achieved BSc Biology. In 1963 he received a D. Phil. in Forest Botany from the Commonwealth Forestry Institute, Oxford.
Career
Prance worked from 1963 at The New York Botanical Garden, initially as a research assistant and, on his departure in 1988, as Director of the Institute of Economic Botany and Senior Vice-President for Science. Much of his career at the New York Botanical Garden was spent conducting extensive fieldwork in the Amazon region of Brazil. He was Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew from 1988 to 1999.
Later work
Since his retirement he has remained very active, notably involving himself with the Eden Project. Prance, a devout Christian, is currently the chair of A Rocha and was president of Christians in Science 2002–08.
He is actively involved on environmental issues, a trustee of the Amazon Charitable Trust, and a Vice-President of the Nature in Art Trust. He has been president of the UK Wild Flower Society for several years.
Honours
Prance was knighted in 1995. He has been a Fellow of the Linnean Society since 1961, a Fellow of the Royal Society since 1993 and was awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour in 1999. He was awarded the Patron's Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1994.
In 2000 he was made a Commander of the Order of the Southern Cross by the President of Brazil. In 2012 he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays and Neck Ribbon by the Government of Japan.
Legacy
Two photographic portraits of Prance are held at the National Portrait Gallery, London.
A biography of Prance was written by Clive Langmead.