Coming from the Gaelic for a fertile, low-lying grassy plain, ‘machair’ describes a rare coastal habitat, famed not only for its plentiful bird life in spring but also its beautiful array of wildflowers throughout summer. Covering a total area of just 19,000ha globally, machair is not just one of the rarest habitat types in Britain, but also right across Europe. It can only be found along a few exposed Atlantic-facing coasts in north-west Scotland and Ireland, with the majority concentrated along the western shores of the Outer Hebrides, Tiree and Coll.
Machair grassland usually sits alongside white sandy beaches and among sand dunes, and will even merge into marshes as it stretches inland. It began to form in earnest at the end of the last age and was subsequently maintained by human influences in the form of low intensity farming – or crofting.
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
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Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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