Committeewoman Cara Jensen

The Missouri Botanical Garden has named Dr. Peter Wyse Jackson, director of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland in Dublin, as successor to President Dr. Peter Raven, who’s stepping down after 40 years at the helm.

Raven said he first met Wyse Jackson 20 years ago when the two were working on a plant conservation committee that eventually gave birth to Botanic Gardens Conservation International, a worldwide organization promoting plant conservation, environmental education and sustainable development through botanic gardens. Wyse Jackson led the BGCI as secretary general.

The pair worked again to encourage countries around the world to assess the diversity of their plant populations and create a plan for conservation.

Raven described Wyse Jackson as a leader with a thoughtful manner who is highly regarded for building up good institutions.

“He has international connections and has been to more botanical gardens around the world and knows more people than anyone,” Raven said. “I think the garden will move more into conservation under him.”

Many garden lovers say Wyse Jackson has big shoes to fill when Raven hands over the reins Sept. 1.

“He has put Missouri on the global map,” said Arnold Donald, chairman of the garden’s board of trustees, said of Raven, a world-renowned botanist.

Dubbed a “Hero of the Planet” by Time magazine, Raven is credited with transforming the garden into a world-class center for botanical research, education and horticultural display.

Raven, 73, is known globally as an advocate for preserving plant diversity in the face of deforestation, degradation and global warming. He also warns about the growing problem of nature-deficit disorder, speaking about the need to instill in children a love of nature that will translate into concerned adults.

In 2000, President Clinton gave Raven the National Medal of Science, the nation’s highest scientific honor.

Wyse Jackson, 55, has served as the director of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland since March 2005. During his tenure, the Kilkenny, Ireland native placed a new emphasis on organic horticulture and home gardening. He made environmental sustainability a priority of the institution, reducing waste and energy consumption, promoting new programs and research on biodiversity, conservation and sustainable development.

Wyse Jackson has authored scores of scientific books and papers on plant conservation, gardening and horticulture, Irish floristics and plant systematics, and the management and conservation of endangered island floras.

“The Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the top botanical institutions in the world, internationally known for its global scientific endeavors and as a cultural institution,” Wyse Jackson said. “It is an honor to have been selected for the presidency at this prestigious institution. The great challenges that we face worldwide in securing a sustainable environment for the future place great responsibilities to provide continued leadership through such great institutions as the Missouri Botanical Garden.”

The 150-year-old Missouri Botanical Garden is the oldest continually operating botanical garden in the nation. In 2009, the garden reported revenue of $36 million and an endowment of nearly $70 million.