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Portrait of a juvenile Barbary macaque, Macaca sylvanus, in Gibraltar. Credit – Lillianne Hawkins.

Strengthening capacity for evidence-based Barbary macaque management

Through her Darwin Plus Fellowship, Lillianne Hawkins is developing a more integrated management framework for Gibraltar’s Barbary macaques, improving how population records are organised and applied in practice.

Recent work has centred on consolidating historical documentation and developing a structured management database to support clearer oversight of the population. Bringing previously dispersed records together strengthens continuity and helps ensure that relevant information can be used more consistently within ongoing management.

Postgraduate training forms a central part of the Fellowship. As part of this project, Lillianne is undertaking an MSc in Environmental Science and Climate Change at the University of Gibraltar, linking academic study directly to applied conservation work. This integration enhances analytical capability and contributes to building long-term conservation expertise within Gibraltar.

This Fellowship has also supported knowledge exchange and outreach. A recent visit to Trentham Monkey Forest enabled engagement with international primate specialists, and project activities were showcased during World Wildlife Day events in Gibraltar. Further information is available on the University of Gibraltar project webpage.

Together, these activities help strengthen the systems and skills that underpin the ongoing management of Gibraltar’s Barbary macaque population.

Written by Lillianne Hawkins. For more information on this Darwin Plus Fellowship project DPLUS217, led by University of Gibraltar, please click here.