Machair is coastal grassland that develops on calcareous sands that have been blown inland from beaches and dunes. The term ‘machair’ strictly relates to the flat sand plain that develops behind coastal dunes.

Most of the world’s machair is found in Scotland (13,300 hectares) with smaller amounts in the west of Ireland. The largest extents are in the Western Isles, mainly in North and South Uist.

Here's a short introduction to the machair               How to use this resource