Environmental research in Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar took centre stage this weekend at the University of Gibraltar as Prof John Cortes, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, participated in the XV Jornadas de Flora, Fauna y Ecología del Campo de Gibraltar, organised by the Instituto de Estudios Campo-gibraltareños, with the support of the Gibraltar National Museum. He was joined at the official opening by the Director of the Instituto Eduardo Briones, and the chair of its Environment section Germán González. The weekend event included presentations on a wide range of environmental topics, and a sea trip visit to Gorham’s Cave Complex World Heritage Site.

Prof Cortes opened the event by welcoming the 80 plus researchers from Gibraltar and the surrounding area. He reminded those present that the first such conference had also been in Gibraltar, at the John Mackintosh Hall in 1993, which he had also opened.

Minister Cortes’ presence at the event highlights Gibraltar’s continued commitment to environmental research, biodiversity protection, and cross-border scientific collaboration. A biologist by profession and one of Gibraltar’s strongest voices on conservation, his participation was seen to add both scientific and institutional weight to a conference that has become a key meeting point for researchers and environmental specialists in the region. 

The conference brought together experts, academics, and environmental organisations to discuss some of the most pressing ecological issues affecting the Campo de Gibraltar and the Strait, including marine biodiversity, migratory species, habitat conservation, climate change, and ecosystem management.

The keynote address dealt with Gibraltar’s 25 Year Environment Plan as an example of environmental governance. The Minister explained the high level of commitment to environmental principles, stressing the active conservation work being carried out here, such as the extension of protected areas, the creating of city parks, introduction of cycle lanes and improvements in air and water quality. He also explained forthcoming projects such as the solid waste separation plant and the sewage treatment plant, and referred to the opportunities for progressing the environmental agenda across the region arising from the EU-UK Treaty on Gibraltar.

Minister Cortes also reinforced the long-standing relationship between Gibraltar’s scientific community and the Instituto, underlining the importance of collaboration in protecting one of southern Europe’s most ecologically significant regions.

Professor Clive Finlayson, Director of the Gibraltar National Museum provided the second Keynote, on the subject of the region’s ecology at the time of the last Neanderthals. 

The event was dedicated to the memory of the late Fernando Barrios, a renown wildlife photographer and a good friend of Gibraltar.