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Machair index
The machair is a flat sandy plain which develops on exposed coastlines of western
Scotland and Ireland. It is often cultivated with a variety of traditional crops
such as potatoes and cereal. In Ireland where it occurs extensively on the west
coast it is normally grazed and remains uncultivated. These two different management
systems create quite different conservation
interests. Both have a high plant diversity in the sward associated
with the calcareous rich soils and transitions to wetlands and peat. The traditionally
cultivated machairs of the Western Hebrides, in particular, also have significant
breeding wader populations. A definition
of the machair includes its physical, biotic and management (traditional agriculture)
characteristics.
A key problem in relation to the maintenance of biodiversity
is the loss of vegetation and increase in wind blown sand which can lead to
deflation
of the whole machair surface. Agricultural
intensification has also affected this type of sand dune. It is not
intended to deal in detail with the restoration
of this habitat, as many of the techniques for sand dunes, of which it is a
special form, are applicable to it. The following are some of the key references
which describe the formation and its conservation value:
- The sand dunes and machair of Ireland (Quigley
1991);
- A description of the origins of the islands of the Outer Hebrides, their
form and present environment (Angus 1997);
- A description of the habitats and the component plants and animals of the
Outer Hebrides (Angus 2001);
- A description of the wetland habitats of the Outer Hebrides including rivers,
lochs, shore and sea (Angus in press)
Comment: The most extensive representation of this unique formation
is in the Outer Hebrides, hence the inclusion of the three key references by
Stewart Angus above.
References
Angus, S.
1997.
The Outer Hebrides: the Shaping of the Islands. The White Horse Press, Cambridge, 264 pp.
Angus, S.
2001.
The Outer Hebrides: Moor and Machair. The White Horse Press, Cambridge, 339 pp.
Angus, S.
The Outer Hebrides: Rivers, Lochs, Shore and Sea. White Horse Press, Cambridge.
Quigley, M.B.
1991.
A Guide to the Sand Dunes of Ireland. European Union for Coastal Conservation, Leiden, Holland .
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