Emeritus Professor William Bond (1948–2025)

14 July 1948–4 December 2025

The University of Cape Town (UCT) community mourns the passing of Professor William Bond, a globally renowned ecologist and leading thinker on open ecosystems and the forces that shape them. A pioneering scholar whose work transformed scientific understanding of grasslands, savannas and shrublands, he passed away on 4 December 2025.

Professor Bond built a distinguished legacy as one of the world’s foremost ecologists. His groundbreaking research on open (non-forested) ecosystems and on the role of fire and herbivory in their evolution, ecology and responses to global change reshaped scientific understanding of how vegetation patterns form across the planet. His work had far-reaching implications for environmental policy and ecosystem management, including highlighting the risks of large-scale afforestation of open ecosystems for carbon sequestration.

Over his career, Professor Bond authored or co-authored more than 300 scientific papers and several books. He was consistently listed among the world’s most highly cited scientists and frequently appeared on Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list. Beyond his research achievements, he served on the boards of conservation and botanical institutions, shaped ecological education and research in South Africa, and mentored generations of students and early-career researchers.

In recognition of his extraordinary contributions, Professor Bond was a fellow of UCT and a fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa. In 2013, he was elected a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), becoming one of only a handful of African scientists to receive this honour. In 2021, he was named a fellow of the Royal Society, the world’s oldest scientific academy – only the seventh South African to be awarded this distinction.

A funeral service for Professor Bond will be held on Friday, 12 December, at the Christian Community Church, Timour Hall Road, Plumstead. The service will begin promptly at 15:00.

A memorial service celebrating Professor Bond’s life will take place on Saturday, 13 December, starting at 14:30 at the Constantia Waldorf Centennial Hall. The memorial will be an opportunity for colleagues, friends and loved ones to gather, reflect and share their memories of him.

Those who wish to share photographs, send flowers or contribute messages from afar are warmly invited to do so. Messages will be read at the memorial and compiled into a book for the family. Contributions may be shared via: www.tinyurl.com/williambond.

Professor Bond is survived by his wife, Winifred, three children and three grandchildren. He leaves behind an extraordinary scientific legacy and a profound impact on all who knew and learned from him.