Research into declining juniper numbers
23 February 2010
Scientists at Porton Down in Wiltshire have taken on a new mission to save the increasingly endangered juniper bush.
The prickly shrub Juniperus communis, whose 'berries' – which are actually fleshy cones - are sought-after for use in gin and for cooking, is one of only three native British conifers, found mainly on the chalk downs of southern England and in the Scottish Highlands. But numbers are in steep decline: surveys in Scotland found large populations in just four per cent of juniper sites, and in parts of southern England up to 80 per cent of the native population has died out.
About a fifth of the country's remaining wild junipers grow on the open plains around Porton Down, so plant conservation charity Plantlife has joined forces with scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) to grow thousands of seedlings from berries to create a new generation.
'If we don't do something now, the juniper on our range will be extinct in 50 years,” said DSTL's project leader Carl Mayers, who is more usually to be found developing body armour for the army. “As well as growing thousands of new juniper bushes from seeds and cuttings, our field research will help to understand better the decline in juniper numbers across Britain – is it just due to rabbits or are there other factors such as climate change?'
The team, which includes more than 70 volunteers from the local community as well as DSTL staff, has already collected more than 32,000 seeds from the Porton Down range. Some will be sown under cover, while others will be planted outside under rabbit-proof shelters. There will also be a full survey of the existing junipers, many of which are already nearing the end of their natural lifespan of 100 years.
The juniper has now been named a priority species under the UK's Biodiversity Action Plan and Porton Down is one of 26 sites across the UK involved in intensive efforts to preserve and increase current populations. Efforts are also under way in Scotland to manage existing sites and propagate new plants for regenerating juniper populations in the future.