Machair is a unique flower-rich grassland bursting with red clover, bird’s-foot-trefoil, oxeye daisies and marsh orchids that provides a haven for other wildlife. Found only on exposed west-facing shores in the north and west of Scotland and western Ireland , it occurs nowhere else on the planet and Europe’s rarest habitat. Its existence depends on a particular mix of features – low-lying coastline, sand partly made from shell fragments, exposure to strong winds, just the right level of rainfall and the impact of people and their grazing animals.
But it’s a sensitive landscape, under threat from the impacts of climate change and land management methods, and needs careful handling. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) , the country’s biggest conservation charity, is on a mission to help. The organisation has just unveiled its latest Plan for Nature , which sets out its aims for protecting wildlife and boosting biodiversity across its sites.
The NTS cares for more than 76,000 hectares of Scotland’s countryside, including islands, coastlines, mountains and forests. Machair is just one of six key habitats and 26 species which have been prioritised for special care and attention at its properties over the coming decades. Jeff Waddell, head of nature conservation for the NTS, said: “We’ve focused on these habitats and species because they represent the best of Scotland’s nature and offer the most important opportunities in our collective actions against biodivers.