South Africa laments death of Bob Scholes

Climate change expert hailed as a research ‘giant’ and ‘true leader’

The scientific community in South Africa reacted with dismay to the news that Bob Scholes, an National Research Foundation A-rated systems ecologist, died on 28 April at the age of 63 after a hiking trip in Namibia with friends and colleagues.

Scholes, director of the Global Change and Sustainability Research Institute at the University of Witwatersrand, was named one of the world’s most highly cited scientists in the world last year. His internationally lauded career focused on understanding climate change, global biodiversity loss and land degradation.