Prof. Sebsebe Demissew, a leading Ethiopian botanical scientist, has been selected to be the recipient of this year’s prestigious Kew International Medal.

A reception to celebrate this award takes place at the British Embassy in Addis Ababa on October 20^th 2016 and he has also been invited to give a lecture in London at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in early 2017.

In selecting Professor Sebsebe, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBGK), acknowledges his lifelong work on promoting Ethiopian biodiversity and the direct benefit for the people in the country and right across Africa.

The award gives a sense of ownership and it builds the image of Addis Ababa University which is the oldest and largest public higher educational institution in Ethiopia, AAU President Dr. Admasu Tsegaye said at the occasion.

“Professor Sebsebe is a highly influential and charismatic leader in the field of botanic science, exactly the type of person who we want to acknowledge with this award,” Professor Kathy Willis, Director of Science RBG Kew said.

He added “Professor Sebsebe achieved a very significant achievement and he contributed significantly to the development of biodiversity not only in Ethiopia but also for Africa.”

In recognizing his vast contribution, Kew hopes to shine a light on the importance of knowing what plants are in any given country but also what needs to be protected and conserved to protect people`s livelihood too, the Director further elaborated.

It was mentioned that his work on indigenous plants is “highly significant” for people in the region.

“The RBG Kew was instrumental in providing the base and technical support for the writing up of the flora project,” said Professor Sebsebe on learning of his award.

“It has been a privilege to be given an opportunity to be trained in systematic botany in Uppsala, Sweden by the Ethiopian flora project” added professor Sebsebe.

“This award will really help us because we cannot alone create center of excellence in biodiversity, we should collaborate with Kew and other universities” professor Sebsebe concluded.

The Medal is an annual award given to individuals for distinguished, internationally-recognized work aligned with the mission of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBGK), to be the global resource for plant and fungal knowledge, building an understanding of the world’s plants and fungi upon which all our lives depend.

Criteria against which the selection of the Kew International medal award winner were applied;

• Building an understanding of the world’s plants and fungi upon which all our lives depend;
• Doing critical work to achieve global resilience;
• Helping to solve some of the critical challenges facing humanity including (but not limited to): Biodiversity loss, climate change, food security, plant pathogens, fighting disease;
• Increasing public awareness of the threat to plant and fungal diversity;
• Using the power of science to provide knowledge, inspiration and understanding of why plants and fungi matter to everyone.

The Kew International Medal was first established in 1992 by the Board of Trustees and is given to individuals who have made a significant contribution to science and conservation.  Previous award winners include Sir Robert and Lady Sainsbury (1994); Sir David Attenborough (1996); Stella Ross-Craig (1999); Margaret Stones (2000); Mary Grieson (2003); Peter H. Raven (2009); Jared Diamond (2012); E. O. Wilson (2014); Dr Kiat W. Tan (2015).