A NEW initiative has been launched to tackle the threat to Scotland's juniper bushes.

There has been rising demand for juniper as the gin industry in Scotland enjoys a renaissance, but research published last month shows it is at risk because of the age of plants and a deadly new fungus.

Now the common juniper plants currently under threat in the Grey Hill Grasslands Nature Reserve of South Ayrshire are to be given protection under a two-year programme run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and Scotland's Rural College (SRUC).

The Ayrshire Juniper Recovery Project has been made possible by a £12,840 grant from the charity committee of the independent, family-owned distiller, William Grant & Sons, producers of Hendrick's Gin.

The aims of the initiative are to prevent the decline of juniper bushes and to expand numbers.

The knowledge gained from the project and collated by students of the SRUC will be made available to other juniper conservation projects throughout Scotland.

Peter Gordon, director of William Grant, said: "The plight of the native juniper shrub becomes more worrying with each passing year and with the Grey Hill Grasslands almost on the doorstep of our gin distillery, we are keen to help in the protection of its remaining colonies.

"The work of both the Scottish Wildlife Trust and SRUC in developing a robust action plan has been very impressive and we look forward to assisting them over the next two years in bringing the project to fruition."