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The mysterious case of the disappearing pencil cedar

Is it too early to talk about Christmas? Some might consider midway through May to be slightly premature, to put it mildly. But when it comes to saving critically endangered trees, there’s no time like the present. Having said that, we first need to delve briefly into the past in order to provide some context.

Once upon a time, the West Indies had its very own species of juniper tree. Known colloquially as the pencil cedar, this conifer of the Caribbean was relatively common on the islands of Saint Lucia and Barbados.

Regrettably, the tree was completely erased from Barbados, along with numerous other native plants and animals that have disappeared from that particular island as a result of widespread habitat destruction and the introduction of alien species. And as time went by, it also started to slip away imperceptibly on Saint Lucia – its final refuge.

Today, the pencil cedar, Juniperus barbadensis var. barbadensis, is teetering on the very brink of extinction – almost literally in this case. By the time botanists became aware of the perilous position of the species, the entire global population was confined to a few mature specimens clinging to the picturesque peak of Petit Piton in south-west Saint Lucia.

View through pencil cedars clinging to the upper slopes of Petit Piton. Credit: Jeremy Holden/FFI

It seemed as though the writing was on the wall for the pencil cedar. But Fauna & Flora International (FFI) hadn’t read the script. Help was on hand for this juniper in jeopardy in the shape of an ingenious rescue plan sketched out in collaboration with the Global Trees Campaign.

FFI is working with the Saint Lucia Forestry Department to propagate pencil cedars in its tree nurseries, with a view to replanting them in the lowland forests where they once thrived. A central plank of the strategy is to halt the proliferation of non-native trees that Saint Lucians have tended to favour at Christmas – particularly alien acacias and introduced varieties of cyprus tree, many of which are substandard and susceptible to disease.

By encouraging the public to buy nursery-grown potted junipers instead – and to plant out this superior substitute in their own gardens and farms once the festive season is over – the project aims to create a new Christmas tradition that will secure the future of Saint Lucia’s native tree by transforming it into an island icon.

Nursery-grown pencil cedars. Credit: Isabel Vique/FFI

What’s the point of telling this story in mid-May? To put it bluntly, we need money. Due to funding constraints, the project team has had to put on hold its plans to start planting out juniper saplings in the wild in 2019.

Adams Toussaint, formerly Chief Forestry Officer and now FFI’s Country Manager and Forest Management Adviser in Saint Lucia, is in no doubt about the importance of this conservation work: “It’s a matter of national pride. Conservation awareness is on the increase here in Saint Lucia, and the people are desperate to save this unique species that is closely associated with the iconic landmark of Petit Piton.”

There is no time to lose. Unless we look sharp, the pencil cedar is in danger of ending its days as a case study about missed opportunities and avoidable extinctions. Should we simply sit back and bide our time until the donations flow in from a more seasonally appropriate Christmas appeal? You can draw your own conclusions.

Saint Lucia’s pencil cedars - and many other threatened trees -
are on a cliff edge. Please support FFI’s efforts to save them by following this link.

This blog was originally a post on FFI’s main website here.

Tracking down one of the most elusive species on the planet

Picture the scene: you’re trekking through one of the remotest regions in steepest, starkest Kyrgyzstan, on the trail of a species so elusive that it might just as well be the stuff of legend. At the risk of stating the obvious, it’s like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack.

By definition, vanishingly rare species are hard to find. It takes single-minded dedication, local knowledge, scientific expertise and cooperation. Even then, there is no guarantee. And, as if their natural scarcity isn’t enough, individual specimens are also notoriously difficult to pinpoint in the wider landscape, even when they are within your field of view. With sightings so few and far between, you also need luck on your side.

That was the magnitude of the task confronting the young researcher with whom Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has been collaborating to gather crucial data on one of the world’s natural wonders.

Looking out across a typical Kyrgyz landscape, complete with spectacular mountain backdrop. Credit: Brett Wilson

Undeterred, he sets about tracking it down. Hunting high and low, for hour after hour, he braves the inhospitable terrain, scouring the forested slopes for telltale signs. Finally, just as he is beginning to wonder whether his search is in vain, he sets eyes on the prize: standing motionless on the hillside, a magnificent specimen of Niedzwetzky’s apple.

Yes, that’s right. It was ‘just’ an apple tree. But this is no ordinary fruit; it’s a botanical rarity no less iconic than any of the more familiar inhabitants of this stunning landscape.

We make no apology for bringing you here under false pretences; this is a story that needs to be told. In cultural, economic and scientific terms, Niedzwetzky’s apple is just as important as the more photogenic species that share its habitat. More significantly, this particular fruit tree is far closer to extinction than any of them, and yet – unsurprisingly – it’s the animals that receive the lion’s share of attention.

Nature red in skin and flesh – The small but perfectly formed Niedzwetzky’s apple. Credit: Brett Wilson

Make no mistake, the fact that there are so many organisations dedicated to conserving the world’s endangered fauna is a real cause for celebration. We’re one of them, and have been for over a century. But just imagine the public outcry – not to mention the flood of donations – that would greet the news that the global population of a spectacular apex predator or lovable herbivore had plummeted to just 149 wild adults. That’s precisely the situation facing Niedzwetzky’s apple in Kyrgyzstan.

Without the intervention of GTC and our various partners and collaborators, this tree might already have slid – virtually unnoticed – into extinction. In a world where so many worthy conservation causes are clamouring for attention, an obscure apple tree with an unpronounceable name is not exactly low-hanging fruit.

Fortunately, if you know where to look, you can find a botanical boffin who is on the side of the underdog. A recently published paper by Brett Wilson – the unsung hero who has been traipsing round Kyrgyzstan on a wild apple chase – reveals just how dangerously close to extinction one of the planet’s most iconic species has come. Firewood collection, which takes out mature trees, and livestock grazing, which hinders regeneration, pose the most serious threats to its survival.

Hunting high and low in the land of the little-known apple. Credit: Brett Wilson

Why does that matter? Well, for one thing, Niedzwetzky’s apple is a very close relative of the wild ancestor from which most of the apple varieties on our supermarket shelves are descended. Distinctively red inside and out, thanks to unique pigments in its skin and flesh – which also confer significant health benefits – it represents a priceless genetic resource and a vital component of Central Asia’s threatened fruit-and-nut forests.

It is also a powerful symbol of what can happen to an individual tree species if we take our eye off the ball. The predicament of Niedzwetzky’s apple epitomises the plight of so many of the world’s 10,000 threatened tree species, almost 2,000 of which are in imminent danger of extinction. The Global Trees Campaign was designed specifically to plug this gap, giving target species the conservation attention that wider forest protection measures may not provide.

In the case of Niedzwetzky’s apple, GTC has played a pivotal role in helping to hold the line. As long ago as 2007, we helped compile a Red List of Central Asian trees, shining the spotlight on this and other previously neglected species. We worked in partnership with Kyrgyzstan’s National Academy of Sciences to collect data on the tree. Since then, we have continued to champion its cause, with the result that communities, forestry workers and government staff now recognise the species’ local, regional and global importance.

On the trail of the lonesome apple. Credit: Brett Wilson

Although Brett’s findings confirm our worst fears about the current status of Niedzwetzky’s apple, they also vindicate the approach that FFI and our partners have been taking to safeguard the species’ future, and pave the way for further conservation action. Investing in this kind of research is a crucial facet of our work; the results are already helping to inform future plans for the species, and for the wider landscape on which Kyrgyzstan’s rural communities increasingly depend.

We are working closely with communities and foresters to protect the most at-risk trees from grazing. With numbers so precariously low, we are also planting out trees in other, carefully chosen sites where – thanks to our research – we know that the species will have the best chance of recovery.

Find out more about the obscure, intriguing fruit tree with the unpronounceable name here. For more pictures of charismatic megafauna, we recommend Flickr or Instagram.

The blog post was originally posted on FFI’s main website here.

Rare pear expedition bears fruit in Kyrgyzstan

A new population of one of the world’s most endangered trees, the Bukharan pear, has been confirmed in a remote corner of Kyrgyzstan.

The discovery of an estimated one hundred mature Pyrus korshinskyi in a single location provides a massive boost to the survival prospects of this species, which has virtually disappeared from most of its former strongholds in Central Asia. The last trees standing are confined to tiny, fragmented populations in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and, it is thought, Uzbekistan.

The presence of this previously unrecorded population was first brought to the attention of Fauna & Flora International (FFI) several months earlier by a local villager, but the species is notoriously difficult to identify in the field. The all-important pear review was conducted by Dr Georgy Lazkov, a botanical expert from Kyrgyzstan’s National Academy of Sciences who accompanied FFI staff on a trip to the Bazar-Korgon region and provided official confirmation of the species’ identity. A further 29 new Bukharan pear trees were also recorded at other locations during the expedition, which was funded by the Global Trees Campaign.

The fruit-and-nut forests of Central Asia, including those in Kyrgyzstan, are crucial to the livelihoods of village communities. They also represent a priceless genetic resource; many of today’s widely cultivated varieties of apple and pear are believed to have originated from the wild species found in these forests. As domesticated strains worldwide become increasingly susceptible to disease, the vital importance of wild populations as a genetic reservoir to provide greater food security cannot be overstated.

Selection of wild fruits and nuts harvested from the Kyrgyzstan forest. Credit: Jason B. Smith

Unfortunately, many of these tree species are threatened with extinction. They are under severe pressure from activities such as overgrazing by domestic livestock, firewood collection and unsustainable harvesting of their fruit and saplings. According to Bolot Tagaev, who hails from Kyrgyzstan’s fruit-and-nut forests and has worked for FFI since 2013, these are by no means the only threats: “For example, local people illegally graft domestic pears onto wild Bukharan pears, as most of them do not know that this species is critically endangered. Moreover, Bukharan pears hybridise with other wild pears and cultivars, so the ‘pure’ form of the pear survives only in remote areas.”

FFI is taking steps to safeguard the future of Kyrgyzstan’s fruit and nut trees, including species such as Niedzwetzky’s apple and the Bukharan pear. They are working closely with forestry staff and forest-dependent communities to ensure that these vital natural resources are managed sustainably. Core activities include establishing tree nurseries, planting out young saplings to replenish the dwindling wild populations, and fencing off areas of forest to protect the remaining wild trees from grazing livestock so that they can regenerate naturally.

Fenced enclosure to protect a mature Bukharan pear tree. Credit: GTC/V Price.

Given the relative inaccessibility of some of the forests that harbour the Bukharan pear and other threatened fruit and nut trees, it is hoped that other wild populations may come to light in Kyrgyzstan. In the meantime, the protection measures taken by FFI and its in-country partners are helping to ensure that a fruit tree with an illustrious past still has a future.

This post was first published by Fauna & Flora International website. Visit their website to read the original.