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About Biodiversity in Schools
Our aim is to ensure that we nurture the next generation of young people to understand the importance of nature, develop the knowledge to engage with it and the passion to stand up for it.
We run the biggest nature education programmes and are the largest supplier of outdoor learning resources in Ireland. We work with pre, primary, home & secondary schools across the whole island.
We are a highly effective social business, working with partners across education, government & business to deliver hugely impactful change. We've chosen to be a social business as we do not seek donations and wish to work independently, efficiently and innovatively. We fund our work privately through our own products and services. We retain our profits to grow and fulfill our mission.
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We work across the entire island but are based on the Longford/ Cavan border in Ireland's beautiful heartlands adjacent to Derrycassan Woods and surrounded by the Lough Gowna lake complex. We also have a satellite-office in Cork.
Our Team
Mark Nolan
Founder & CEO
Mark has over 20 years experience studying and working in the biodiversity space. He has a degree in Environmental Science (Trinity College Dublin) and a Masters in Science Communication (Dublin City University). He has created and delivered some of Ireland's largest nature education programmes and as a result is one of the country's leading experts on biodiversity education, communications and behavioural change.
Message from our founder & CEO
"I started BIS with my colleague soon after leaving college. I was dismayed at the mountains of scientific evidence on climate and biodiversity and yet the complete lack of action. I felt the world needed more action and less talking. As scientists we often avoid confrontation and have done a poor job of "selling" nature to the public for decades. At BIS we do our best to ensure the next generation love, appreciate and understand nature. I have a particular passion for inclusivity and diversity and making sure we challenge ourselves to avoid preaching to the choir, reaching out to all groups and not leave nature as an exclusive pursuit of the few. As we grow this sector in Ireland we need to ensure it becomes professional, scalable, inclusive and impactful with education at its core and not a novelty. It is my absolute privilege to lead BIS and have the opportunity to shape a wilder future for the next generation of Ireland."
Diarmuid Hayes
Operations Manager
Diarmuid has a degree in ecology (University College Cork) and a masters in forest ecology (Munster Technological University). He has taught students both indoors and outdoors for several years, including 4 years spent as a classroom teacher in Vietnam where he also started a Nature Club for young learners. He loves forests and rewilding, and is very enthusiastic about passing on that love of the outdoors to the next generation - he believes getting hands-on experience with the natural world is the best way to learn.
Caitriona McCabe
Founder; Finance & Resources Manager
​Caitriona is the co-founder of Biodiversity in Schools. She is a qualified and experienced primary school teacher (Hibernia College), a zoologist (Trinity College Dublin) and has completed an advanced diploma in business management (Ulster University). This allows her to merge her passions of working with young people, exploring the amazing world of biodiversity and the wellbeing benefits that come from connecting with it. She has over a decade of classroom experience while also working with some of Ireland's leading environmental education organisations.
Katherina Di Cristina
Collaborations Manager
Katherina is the Collaborations Manager for Biodiversity in Schools, where she gets to combine her passions for nature, education, and community. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Anthropology and her interests in ecology, folklore, herbalism and mythology continue to ground her work, helping to foster our deep connection with the world around us. With a background as an Environmental Educator at the Florida School of Holistic Living and as a Florida Master Naturalist, Katherina has spent more than 10 years helping to connect people with nature through hands-on learning, storytelling, and action.