Juniperus Conservation at VBG
Botanic gardens talk a lot about conservation. Mostly our contribution is by safekeeping taxa in cultivation, a very worthy role. BGCI (Botanic Gardens Conservation International) estimates a third of the world’s plants are held in botanic collections, including nearly half of those classified as threatened. A more difficult challenge is to return plants to the wild, a hugely complex proposal that is indeed questionable in many ways, for example, three important questions are:
2. Is there sufficient genetic variation amongst the proposed returnees, and are they in sufficient number, to become viable populations?
3. What safeguarding can be committed to their husbandry until the returned population becomes self-sustaining?
VBG is working with partners such as Natural England and the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to contribute to the conservation of Juniper, a once native plant on the Island. We have gained funding that will lead an effort to return a breeding population of Juniper to the Isle of Wight.
On the Island the Juniper population steadily declined due to environmental factors over many years, the last (male) plant on the Island has now died, but thanks to the efforts of Dr Colin Pope and VBG we have one cloned example in the Garden, and two plants in our Nursery. I created a fundraising proposal, which was accepted, to reintroduce naturally-occurring female plants from the mainland. In time these will join increased stock of the Island male clone to recreate viable populations.
VBG Head Gardener Wayne Williams and VBG Horticulture Trainee Adam Douglas-Cousins will shortly travel to locations in Hampshire with permission to take cuttings of previously tagged female Juniper. These will be rooted at VBG and made available for reintroduction later in 2026. This fieldwork is a first at VBG for many years and underlines our commitment to conservation.