The Minister for Environment, Prof. John Cortes, attended a press conference yesterday at the Mancomunidad de Municipios del Campo de Gibraltar announcing the programme for the XV Conference on the Flora, Fauna and Ecology of the Campo de Gibraltar, which will take place this weekend at the University of Gibraltar. 

The conference, to be held on Saturday and Sunday at the Europa Point campus, brings together academics, environmental specialists and researchers from across the region to discuss biodiversity, conservation and ecological challenges affecting the Campo de Gibraltar, Gibraltar and the Strait area. Topics in the programme include cetacean populations in the Strait of Gibraltar, bird migration, forest ecosystems, climate-related invasive species, cave ecology and the environmental future of Gibraltar. 

The press conference was chaired by Mancomunidad President Susana Pérez Custodio. Minister Cortes was joined by Director of the Instituto de Estudios Campogibraltareños Eduardo Briones, whose organisation is coordinating the event. 

Speaking after the announcement, Minister Cortes said: “These conferences, the first of which was held in Gibraltar 33 years ago in 1993, are an important example of the close academic and environmental cooperation that exists across our region. By working together and sharing scientific knowledge we strengthen our ability to protect the unique wildlife and habitats of the Campo de Gibraltar and the Strait for future generations.” 

The conference is dedicated to the late Fernando Barrios Partida, naturalist and founding member of La Asociación Española de Fotógrafos de Naturaleza (AEFONA), and will also include a visit to Gorham’s Cave on Sunday. Researchers from Gibraltar, Spain and beyond will present studies and findings throughout the two-day event.