Iain Darbyshire

Iain Darbyshire is a botanist and senior research leader at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew with over 20 years’ experience of documenting plant diversity in tropical Africa. He has a specialist interest in the taxonomy and systematics of Acanthaceae and related families in the Lamiales but also has a wider interest in applying taxonomic knowledge and collections-based science to biodiversity conservation planning in Africa. As such, he co-ordinates the Tropical Important Plant Areas programme at Kew and is currently working in collaboration with partners in Ethiopia, Mozambique and Uganda to document IPAs and advocate for their protection and sustainable management.