Machair LIFE+, a few reflections by George Campbell
When we attended a few public meetings in the Uists in the winter of 2009, the weather outside was pretty stormy. On occasion the atmosphere inside was pretty stormy too. We were left in no doubt that the crofting population valued the machair and was deeply concerned about its future. It was also made clear to us that there were significant challenges that would need to be addressed if crofting was to survive and flourish on the machair.
We listened to these concerns and whilst there are inevitable constraints with any funding programme, I believe we made significant progress in either addressing them, or helping to show how they could be addressed in the future. We showed that a well-organised and motivated team could minimise crop damage from geese. We worked in partnership with townships, which reaffirmed the value of seaweed as a fertiliser. We helped get some old binders going again and discovered the frailties of the modern equivalent. Seed drying and shallow ploughing proved popular, as did rotovating and our SRDP workshops. Local schoolchildren were enthusiastic about our machair art courses and produced fantastic art work which hung in a gallery and scarecrows which stood out in the fields.
We had great help and support from our partners and most of all from the crofting community of Uist. I think it went better than we could have hoped, or imagined, and great credit for that must go to the project staff. My only regret is that it is all over so soon. We achieved a lot, but if there is a lesson, it is that managing a resource as valuable and fragile as the machair, involves a lot of people, needs a lot of support and must be subject to a long term approach.
George Campbell, Director, RSPB North Scotland Regional Office
The Conserving Machair Life+ project ran from January 2010 to June 2014.
Machair LIFE+ Downloads
Machair Life+ - Final Technical Report
Machair Life+ Layman's report 3 - People and the machair
Machair Life+ Layman's report 2 - Wildlife and the machair
Machair Life+ Layman's report 1 - Crofting and the machair
Machair Life+ - Crofting, An expensive Hobbie
Machair Life+ Worksheets - Archaeology
Machair Life+ Worksheets - What is the Machair?
Machair Life+ Worksheets - Uist Corn
Machair Life Newsletter - Issue 8 - Feb 2014
Machair Life Newsletter - Issue 7 - May 2013
Machair Life Newsletter - Issue 6 - December 2012
Machair Life Newsletter - Issue 5 - June 2012
Machair Life Newsletter - Issue 4 - November 2011
Machair Life Newsletter - Issue 3 - June 2011
Machair Life Newsletter - Issue 2 - December 2010
Machair Life Newsletter - Issue 1 - June 2010
Machair Life Crop Protection Advisory Leaflet
Machair Life Stacking Advisory Leaflet
Machair Life Seed Advisory Leaflet
Machair LIFE+ Conserving Scottish Machair - A' Dìon Machraichean na H-Alba from UistFilm.
Machair is the Gaelic name for a rare and distinct type of coastal grassland that supports a huge diversity of wildlife in the Hebrides of Scotland. This is the story of crofting on the machair in the 21st century and a partnership project to support this unique landscape.
Machair Life was a four-year project which ran from January 2010 to June 2014, and aimed to demonstrate that traditional crofting practices have a sustainable future. We hope that the project will have helped to secure the immensely important conservation value of the unique machair habitat, 70% of which was covered by the project.
Machair Life was supported by the European Union LIFE+ scheme, and managed by The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (CnES) and the Scottish Crofting Federation (SFC).
Machair habitat is extremely rare, and changes in local agricultural practices have occurred that are now threatening the condition of the habitat and the conservation status of key flora and fauna populations.
Through working closely with crofting communities, agencies and partners within the designated Natura 2000 sites, the project team hope to secure and improve the conservation status of 70% of the world’s machair.
The project mostly covers Uist, as this is where the majority of machair occurs. However, areas of Barra, Coll and Tiree, Oronsay and south Colonsay, Islay and Lewis are also included. See our map and more details of these areas.
Machair is rare, bio-diverse coastal grassland, unique to the north-western fringe of Europe. For generations, man has worked and moulded machair in a low intensity crofting system that has created a mosaic of open habitats.