The unique Hebridean machair habitat, home to traditional crofting and a wealth of rare wildlife, is to protected through significant funding. RSPB

The RSPB notes:

The Hebridean machair is a strip of coastal land stretching from North Uist to Islay, with small pockets extending to the north of Lewis. Traditional crofting methods, including mixed grazing and late harvesting of arable crops for winter cattle fodder produces a magical landscape rich in wild flowers, herbs and grasses, bursting with seasonal colours.  This in turn makes perfect conditions for  threatened birds like corncrake, chough and corn bunting. The machair is also home to 16,000 breeding pairs of wading birds such as lapwings and ringed plovers, and insects such as the declining great yellow bumblebee. Scottish machair is globally important for this wildlife, which has disappeared from many other parts of Europe. Without the right support, however, the active crofting systems that maintain it are at risk.