Lecturer Spotlight | Jemila Mellin | Associate Lecturer – MSc Environmental Science & Climate Change

Jemila Mellin

Associate Lecturer  – School of Marine & Environmental Science

Jemila is an Associate Lecturer (Environmental Science) and Administrative Assistant for the School of Marine and Environmental Science (SoMES) at the University of Gibraltar.

Her background is in Education having been a teacher in local schools since 2009. During this time, she formed part of the Eco-Group where teachers would discuss areas of improvement within the school and encourage children to find sustainable ways to progress and make positive changes around the school.

In 2023 she set out to upskill and improve her knowledge and skills relating to environmental issues to deliver more biodiversity and climate focussed curricula in school, taking a career break to complete the MSc Environmental Science and Climate Change at the University of Gibraltar.  During this time however, her passion and newfound understanding of the local environment motivated her to stay on at the University and put into practice her passion for Biodiversity and research as part of the Academic Staff at SoMES.

Her research has focused on the local Nature Reserve in Gibraltar and included a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of fox and rabbit behaviour,  foxes feeding habits, and the process of rabbit reintroduction. Working closely with the Department of Environment, she is keen to understand the wildlife present in Gibraltar and reasons why animals may move from their natural habitats into urban areas. Given that there are not many foxes in Gibraltar, it is vital to promote awareness about the local wildlife to foster a more conscious co-existence between humans and animals. By enhancing public understanding about the ecological roles of both foxes and rabbits, and the impact human actions can have on animal behaviours, human-wildlife conflicts may be mitigated.

Her expertise lies in analysis of fox scat, digital imagery e.g. (non-invasive) camera trap surveys, and vegetation surveys.