Cecilia Tagliavia
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Senior Fellow
Ph.D. Plant Physiology (Lancaster University, UK)
M.Sc. Plant Ecology (York University)
Biography
Dr. Tagliavia holds a PhD in plant physiology from Lancaster University, UK, where she screened plants to select those adapted to elevated CO2 and drought. During her MSc in plant ecology at York University, she focused on deer grazing reductions and prescribed burns as ecosystem management tools for the restoration of oak savannas, a rare plant community in southwestern Ontario.
Dr. Tagliavia is currently a Research Associate at IRIS and also an independent ecological consultant. She is the project manager on a project for the adaptation of the Urban Forest Effect model (UFORE) to the Keele campus. This project is intended to provide the much-needed data on the functioning of Keele campus vegetation regarding climate change and its important role in air pollution removal. The report will be an important tool for York managers and planners in the development and design of more sustainable vegetation management.
Dr. Tagliavia has also worked on a project for the government of the North West Territories to develop community-based protocols for early detection of invasive plant and insects. She was responsible for reviewing the literature on community-based protocols and ongoing programs for the early detection, reporting, and monitoring of alien species.
As and independent consultant Dr. Tagliavia is the first author of a report commissioned by the Canadian Wildlife Services (Environment Canada) on the status of the scientific research on invasive plants and species at risk. This literature review examined the effects and relationships between alien invasive plant species (AIS) on species at risk (SAR) and critical habitats in the Great Lakes Region.
Dr. Tagliavia’s strong statistical background has led her to work with Dr. L Goldring and Dr. P. Landolt on data analysis for the project the Immigrants in the Global Economy (http://www.arts.yorku.ca/research/ine/public_outreach/team.html). Dr. Tagliavia and IRIS consider bridging the gap between social and biological sciences an important step for successful sustainability projects.
