Dave Aplin Email & Phone Number

United Kingdom

www.soilvalues.comOur service provides professional soil testing and is specifically tailored to gardeners, the landscape sector, ecologists, farmers & small holders. Our mission is to demystify the science of soil. This will enable you to understand the results from our comprehensive report & learn from the reasons behind our advice. • Write detailed reports in language accessible to the gardening public.• Identify plant pests, diseases and disorders.• Fortnightly columnist on gardening in two regional publications.

West Dorset, Uk

Independent consultant managing strategic development & evaluation of international botanic gardens through collaborative working processes:• Developed Living collection policies for the Royal Botanic Garden Jordan, the Finnish Natural History Museum• Authored chapter on strategic approaches to curated plant collections in Botanic Gardens Conservation International’s manual BGCI's manual on Planning, Developing and Managing Botanic Gardens (see https://www.bgci.org/files/BG_Manual2017/chapter3.pdf)• Developed feasibility study for the development of a botanic garden at Wadi el Gemal-Hamata Protected Area, Egypt• Wrote Annual Reports for Botanic Garden Meise, Belgium • Delivered lectures for Kingston Maurward College on a wide range of horticultural topics, including pests, diseases and the potential impacts of climate change

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Led conceptual framework for a new world-class botanic garden for the Emirate of Sharjah, also Director of the Sharjah Seed Bank and Herbarium.• Selected lead architects, managed collaborative Master Plan phases including Baseline Report, Master Plan Options, Preferred Master Plan and Concept Master Plan Report.• Developed Living Collection Strategy and designed nursery with quarantine facility.• Guided development of environmentally-sensitive landscape strategy.• Researched & created extensive scope of works for bespoke on-site nursery to establish diverse plant collections and food production in a challenging climate.• Initiated partnership process with senior government officials, agencies & International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to deliver the first authoritative native plant species list for the UAE.• Hosted ministerial visits & delegates from Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC).• Established successful Schools’ Education Program providing children with hands-on experience of plant science in laboratories. (see shorturl.at/fxN15).

West Dorset

Appointed to direct this Dorset environmental studies centre and develop a long-term strategy for its future. Responsible for: managing 12 staff; over 50 tutors; residential accommodation for 25 students; initiating a highly successful volunteer program; fostering areas that made financial loss into those that made profit; developing the website and social media presence; spearheading local and national media coverage; evaluating and updating courses; negotiating charitable contributions from business and marketing sectors.Identified that the Centre's size meant its viability was marginal thus to ensure its on-going future opened discussions with Dorset Wildlife Trust which lead to a successful merger and continuation of the Centre.

The National Botanic Garden of Belgium present one of Europe's largest ex-situ collections of plants. Curated within this space are c.18,000 taxa & 22,000 accessions. This role has a strong networking element often extending beyond the collection to promote (and improved) the roles of botanic gardens as facilitators of conservation, especially in Europe: learn more. Core Responsibilities Set strategic direction for curation management in line with our conservation, education & research mission. Oversee maintenance, cultivation, display and interpretation of living plant collections to meet educational objectives of the institute. Incorporate international targets (GSPC, ESPC), guidelines (ITF2) & legislation (CITES, CBD) into curation management. Provide hands-on mentor role for updating horticultural techniques and public displays at Meise & Kisantu Botanic Garden (D.R. Congo). Co-ordinate & manage institute’s budget for European Union-funded ENSCONET project & consult on grant writing for project's renewal. Raise institute's profile at national and international meetings and via the media through high quality press releases and presentations.

Wrote informative and topical articles in a fortnightly column on gardening in an English language magazine sold nationally.

Managed major areas of website and horticultural databases. Provided botanical expertise to team, ensuring accuracy of content. Developed friendly informative online content under tight deadlines. Liaised with celebrity gardeners.

Project managed multi-trophic research project with students. Analysed and published results in the journal Ecology and Ecology Letters. Lectured and demonstrated to under- and postgraduate students at weekly intervals.

Lead author on British native plants for the 'Wildlife of Britain' magazine, edited, proof-read and indexed botanical volumes to strict deadlines

Created and maintained garden used for the eight programmes and researched authenticity of cultivated plants. Involved regular TV appearances on The Victorian Flower Garden.

Dorchester

Charminster, Dorset, United Kingdom

Phd, Botany/Ecology

PhD in Plant Ecology

Bsc, Botany, First Class Hons.

Activities and Societies: Founder member of the Biology Society; School's Project Officer for the Conservation and Wildlife Society.BSc.

National Certificate, Nursery Practices, Distinction

City & Guilds Phase 2, Ornamental Horticulture, Credit

City & Guilds Phase 1, Ornamental Horticulture, Credit