Michael Succow

Michael Succow (born 1941) studied biology at the University of Greifswald, where he also earned his doctorate. He completed his habilitation in 1981 and was appointed professor at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 1987. As deputy environment minister in the government of East German prime minister Hans Modrow, he played a major role in developing the national park programme in 1990. In 1992, Succow became a university professor in Greifswald and director of its Botanical Institute and Botanical Garden; he was made professor emeritus in 2006. He received the Right Livelihood Award, often called the Alternative Nobel Prize, in 1997. In 1999, he founded the Michael Succow Foundation for the Protection of Nature. His other distinctions include the Federal Cross of Merit, First Class, and an honorary professorship in Kyrgyzstan.