Dr Fran Giaquinto CEnv MCIEEM
Fran has worked as an independent plant ecologist for the last 16 years and is a full member of the Chartered Institute of Ecological and Environmental Management (CIEEM). She was awarded Chartered Environmentalist status by the Society for Environment in 2019 in recognition of her pioneering work with invasive species. Her background spans academic and commercial research, with a focus on finding practical solutions to difficult environmental challenges.
She has lectured and taught internationally on a range of topics, including biodiversity, invasive species, woodland ecology, mycology, biological remediation of contaminated soils and, most recently, invasive fungal tree diseases, and carbon sequestration.
Fran lives in County Clare, where she has spent the last 15 years restoring an area of cut-over raised bog into a woodland wildlife haven.
Qualifications
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2014: Train the Trainer, FETACLevel6 (Awarded Distinction)
1980–1983: PhD. The symbiotic interactions between birch (Betula spp.) and mycorrhizal fungi. University Edinburgh
1976–1979: BSc Botany (Hons). University Bristol
Teaching experience
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2023: The control and management of invasive species. Online and field-based training for communities in County Clare. European Union (LEADER) funded through Clare Local Development Company.
2021: Six month online and field-based training to develop a biodiversity enhancement plan for outdoor recreational spaces in 15 communities in County Clare. European Union (LEADER) funded through Clare Local Development Company.
2020: Three-month online training programme: Become a biodiversity leader in your community. European Union (LEADER) funded through West Limerick Resources.
Key webinars given in the last two years
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2022: Galway City Council.
2022: Clare County Council. (Three-part webinars series).
2022: Forres Transition Towns (Scotland). (Three-part webinars series).
2022: Chartered Institute Ecological and Environmental Management lunchtime series.
Invasive tree diseases and their impact on biodiversity.
2022: Community Foundation Ireland. Delivered to 5 towns and villages in Co Clare.
2022: Bury Water Meadows Group, UK. Biodiversity and its management in community spaces
2021: Clare Country Park, UK. Three-part webinar based training on biodiversity and invasive species for staff and volunteers.
2021: Clare County Council: Two webinars on biodiversity delivered as part of a new community network established under the Rural Development Scheme.
2021: European Green Leaf Award, Limerick City and County Council.
2020: European Green Leaf Award, Limerick City and County Council.
Examples of my work:
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Feb 2022: Invasive Tree diseases and their impact on biodiversity. For CIEEM members: