News

Conservation of Juniper in Ireland

Juniper is a coniferous shrub native to Ireland with an extensive but discontinuous distribution. Juniper belongs to the Cypress family, and has two subspecies native to Ireland : the common juniper (Juniperus communis communis); and the prostrate juniper (Juniperus communis nana).

Juniper distribution in Ireland

Juniper is found in a wide range of habitats but grows best in thin nutrient poor acid or alkaline soils, from sea level to high montane environments. It is found throughout Ireland on varying geology and terrain: including chalk grassland, quarries, successional stages to woodland, limestone pavements and scars, acidophilous heath communities, exposed outcrops and exposed coastal environments.

Within Ireland , Juniper is recorded from 108 x 10km² Irish grid squares. One of the main perceived threats to Juniper populations is the large proportion of old, senescent bushes and lack of recruitment from seed. Establishment of seedlings has been shown to be negatively affected by both grazing and climatic factors. Overgrazing may present a particular problem, particularly for those formations occurring in montane and rough pasture hillsides where effective fencing is problematic. Coastal populations tend to be out of the reach of many grazing animals but their persistence on cliff faces exposes them to windthrow and, consequently, many of these populations comprise limited numbers of stunted trees. These threats to seedling establishment are further exacerbated by low levels of seed viability coupled with limited dispersal.

This 3 year project aims to:

1.       Establish the distribution and extent of Juniper formations

2.       Determine the condition and future prospects of all Juniper formations

3.       Assess the conservation status of the habitat

4.       Propose management recommendations to ensure favourable conservation status is achieved

5.       Propose a monitoring prescription for this habitat type