Dr Stewart Finlayson, PhD

Stewart Finlayson is the Director of the Gibraltar National Museum’s Natural History Department and has just completed his PhD at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge (UK). Stewart’s PhD is in Life Sciences, Evolutionary Biology, specifically looking at the relationship between Neanderthals and birds, how Neanderthals exploited these animals, what species, in specific, were being used, and for what reason. Stewart is also working on birds as climate indicators, trying to establish what habitats looked like based on the bird species found in the fossil record across Europe.

Stewart’s passion has always been wildlife, and he has been involved from a very young age, in various studies working with birds around Iberia alongside Professor Clive and Professor Geraldine Finlayson; his parents.

Stewart heads a study of Chiroptera in Gibraltar since 2013. The study, aptly named Gib-Bats, has looked at the population status of bats within Gibraltar and identified which species have gone locally extinct, and also identified new species, which had not been described for Gibraltar before. Gib-Bats is now the advising entity to Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar on all aspects to do with bats and is actively creating awareness of bats, in Gibraltar, running yearly bat nights (The Eurobats bat night) at which over 300 people, including many young children, come to find out about these nocturnal animals. He also works closely with the Education Officer at the museum on the annual education programme in collaboration with the Department of Education in Gibraltar.

Stewart holds a grade 7 bat handling license issued by Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar Department for the Environment. Grade 7 is the highest level license issued and allows the holder to train other individuals.

This study has expanded its reach and since 2016 Stewart is leading a study, alongside his colleagues at the Estacion Biologica de Doñana (CSIC) Spain, Professors Javier Juste and Carlos Ibañez. Here they are looking at the spatial and temporal dynamics of Miniopterus schreibersii in Gibraltar, southern Spain and North Africa. Stewart and his colleagues are marking these bats, using either bands (rings), microchips or occasionally VHF, to find roost entrances, and are attempting to piece together the movements of this highly migratory species and answer the question ‘Do bats cross the Strait of Gibraltar’. To answer this question, DNA samples are also being taken of individuals to see if there is fluid movement between the North African, and southern European populations.

Stewart holds a Spanish ‘Anillador experto’ license (Expert level license), the highest level license issued by the Spanish Ministerio de Medio Ambiente.

In 2017, Stewart was unanimously voted into the ‘Directiva’ (committee) of SECEMU (www.secemu.org) – the Spanish National Association for the study and conservation of bats. A post which he still holds. In December 2018, Stewart organized the 7th SECEMU national bat conference; the second time it had been held outside Spain, and the first time in Gibraltar. It was a huge success with the highest turnout to date, with 111 students and professionals coming together from across the globe to discuss different aspects to do with the conservation of these animals.

In 2019, Stewart was also made a member of the IUCN Bat Specialist Group. He is the representative for Gibraltar and works with his counterparts in Spain and Portugal advising on species status in the Iberian Peninsula amongst other things.

Stewart is also a successful Wildlife Photographer, member of the Royal Photographic Society and has published his works in various books and magazines. Stewart is co-author of ‘A Guide to Wild Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar’ published by Santana books and lead author of ‘Lost World’ Secrets of a World Heritage Site’ published by the Gibraltar National Museum. He is currently in the process of writing his third book, this time with Pelagic Publishing.