University of Gibraltar appoints Beacon Professor Julia Fa

Internationally recognised conservation scientist Professor Julia Fa was recently appointed by the University of Gibraltar as a Beacon Professor.

Prof Fa was born and educated in Gibraltar, and in the 40 years since then her career has spanned continents having worked in the UK, Europe, Latin America and Africa.

She has served as Chief Conservation Officer at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in Jersey, worked with the Government of Gibraltar, and held academic roles across Europe and Latin America.

Currently, she is Professor of Biodiversity and Human Development at Manchester Metropolitan University, Senior Associate at the Center for International Forestry Research in Indonesia, and Visiting Professor at both Imperial College London and Universidad de Malaga.

Her research bridges biology, economics, anthropology, and development, addressing urgent global challenges at the intersection of biodiversity and human wellbeing.

She now joins the University of Gibraltar as Beacon Professor, a role that reflects both her roots and her commitment to inspiring the next generation of conservation scientists.

Prof Fa told the Chronicle she has been working with the University of Gibraltar for four years.

She plans to continue teaching the MSc in Environmental Sciences and Marine Sciences at the University of Gibraltar.

“I love teaching as well, but we do a lot of research in Africa and South America, so I think we can do more in the streets of Gibraltar,” she said.

Beacon Professors are unique to the University of Gibraltar, and the title is symbolic of the role they undertake.

Prof Fa joins fellow Beacon Professors David Abulafia, John Cortes, Clive Finlayson, and Jamie Trinidad.

She plans to build upon her work at the University of Gibraltar and feels incredible proud to return to her homeland to share her knowledge.

“I think we have a tremendous critical mass of intelligent people in Gibraltar, and we must promote, push, and do the best we can with all of us,” she said.

Shortly after the appointment was announced, Prof Fa held her first Beacon Lecture titled ‘Edge of Two Continents: Enabling People and Nature Across the Western Mediterranean’.

Her lecture on Mediterranean biodiversity focused on the rabbit and barbary macaque.

“You may think, well, why the rabbit? The rabbit is so common. Well, the rabbit is unique to the Iberian Peninsula, and there are very many interesting things about it,” Prof Fa said.

“The research I do has to do with how do you combine the interests of people with the interests of wildlife.”

“I'm not interested in just looking at conservation of a species. I'm interested in showing how we can actually combine both people and wildlife.”

“They need to live and work together.”

She added that the barbary macaques are unique in the sense that they are the only macaque species that's found in North Africa.

“It's the ancestral form of all the macaques that you find in Asia,” she said.

“It's only found in the wild in forests and other vegetation in Morocco and Algeria, and it has been introduced, as you well know, into Gibraltar.”

“The origin of the macaque in Gibraltar we don't quite know. Maybe the Moors, maybe the Romans, but there's no evidence until the British are here. In the 1740s is where you start getting more information about the macaques.”

She highlighted issues such as maintaining a species like the macaque in Gibraltar, also as a tourist attraction.

Prof Fa as worked in Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil, in the Caribbean area in Cuba and the Dominican Republic, and in Africa.

“We do a lot of work in Cameroon, a lot of work in Congo. Mostly West Africa, Central Africa,” she said.

“Less work in places like Tanzania and Kenya and Southern Africa.”

She is currently working on an EU-funded project focused on groups of indigenous people that live in Central Africa.

Prof FA said that there are two big projects in Gibraltar, the first is a biodiversity assessment of Windmill Hill flats, and the latter is a doctorate on barbary macaques.

“We got a fellowship for Lily Hawkins who is attached to the University of Gibraltar,” she said.

“Hopefully she's going to do her doctorate with me on the Barbary macaques. The fellowship has allowed her to do more research on the macaques and do all sorts of other really interesting work that we need to do.”

In a press statement, the University said Prof Fa was appointed in recognition of her outstanding and consistent contribution to work that examines the complex and dynamic relationships between people and nature, particularly in regions where communities depend heavily on natural resources.

The University found that her research has advanced scientific understanding and shaped international policy frameworks addressing critical issues such as biodiversity conservation, sustainable food systems, and climate change mitigation.

Prof Fa completed her doctorate in Animal Ecology at the University of Oxford in 1984 and has since built a global career, including two decades at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

A widely published author on biodiversity and sustainability, she now serves as Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University, Senior Associate at the Center for International Forestry Research, and Visiting Professor at Imperial College London and the University of Malaga.

Professor Catherine Bachleda, Vice-Chancellor and CEO at the University said: “Professor Fa’s appointment reflects the University’s commitment to recognising academic excellence. Her research in biodiversity and sustainability has informed international policy and contributed to addressing some of today’s most pressing environmental challenges.”

“We are delighted to welcome her as a Beacon Professor.”