Peter H. Raven obituary: visionary botanist who transformed our understanding of plant diversity

Credit: Missouri Botanical Garden Peter Raven transformed the field of botany. His research in plant evolution, classification and biogeography deepened our understanding of how plants evolved and diversified across the world. His visionary leadership helped to position botany and biodiversity conservation at the centre of humanity’s most urgent global challenges. Raven was a passionate advocate for the importance of plants to human well-being, and the role of science, education and international collaboration in building a sustainable future. He was a kind, generous and supportive mentor who inspired students, scientists and the public around the world. He has died, aged 89. Raven was born in Shanghai, China, in 1936 to parents from the United States. The following year, Japan invaded China, and the family moved to San Francisco, California. From an early age, Raven took an interest in biodiversity. He was a child naturalist, collecting butterflies, beetles and plants. The scale of the biodiversity crisis laid bare At age eight, he joined the student section of the California Academy of Sciences (CAS), becoming the youngest member ever to enrol. Through CAS, he met the prolific botanist Alice Eastwood, who shared tips on preparing plant specimens. Later, botanist John Thomas Howell became Raven’s mentor, and added his collection to the CAS herbarium. …