Machair Study Group

In 2002 the former Machair Studies Group was reconstituted within the Aberdeen Institute for Coastal Science & Management (AICSM). With the help of some financial assistance from Scottish Natural Heritage, secretarial services were provided in order to establish and maintain a database of individuals with any type of interest in Machair. At present the group has over 60 associates. There is no joining fee or membership requirements; the Group is a loose association that is designed to share information on any study or project relating to machair. Perforce, machair is mainly associated with the Western Isles of Scotland, but conscious efforts have been made to include members with a knowledge of machair as it occurs along the west coast of Ireland.

To provide an initial focus for the Group, a half-day session was included in the Littoral 2004 Conference, which took place in Aberdeen. With the permission of the chairman of Littoral 2004 (David Green), it was agreed that the papers given in this conference could be republished in expanded format by the Machair Study Group. This was completed in January 2006 in both paper and digital format, with the latter being supplied free to members of the Group (further details of this publication are given below). The publication was refereed and will have an ISBN number. It is entitled Sand Dune Machair 4 and links directly with the three earlier volumes from our ‘old’ Machair Group, which were edited by one of the founders of the group, the late Derek Ranwell.

The title also reflects early debate on the question of the uniqueness of machair – is it unique or really a type of coastal sand dune system with some distinctive, but not necessarily unique, geomorphological and ecological attributes? Hence the compromise title ‘Sand Dune Machair’. All the earlier volumes, now out of print, were scanned electronically and digital versions sent to all corresponding members on request, and this facility remains available. There is also an occasional Newsletter produced by Stewart Angus (see below).

The organisational structure is deliberately loose. The secretarial support lies within AICSM and corresponding addresses are:

Elaine Ball
AICSM
c/o 23 St Machar Drive
Aberdeen
AB 24 3RY

Professor W Ritchie
AICSM
Geosciences School, Geography and Environment,
St. Mary's, Elphinstone Road,
University of Aberdeen
AB24 3UF

Mr Stewart Angus
Scottish Natural Heritage
Great Glen House
Leachkin Road
Inverness
IV3 8NW

There is no charge or subscription fee, as this will continue to be subsumed within the AICSM budget, but we are grateful to Scottish Natural heritage for a start-up grant from 2002-2006, and also to Stewart Angus in the SNH office in Inverness, who gives his time freely, as does Professor Bill Ritchie. There is no committee and no office bearers, but Stewart and Bill will continue to act as the main points of contact.

Future activities underway include asking for members in Ireland to consider holding a field symposium near machair landscapes in Ireland. The proceedings of this meeting should form the basis of Sand Dune Machair 5. Otherwise, we will continue to expand the list of addresses of those interested in machair and generally keep in contact regarding any activity that helps our mutual understanding of this particular landscape.

We have now established links with the Coastal Union (www.eucc.nl) and the UK Coastal Sand Dune & Shingle Network (www.hope.ac.uk/coast). We currently have over 70 corresponding members. If you are interested in joining, please contact Elaine Ball (elaine.ball@abdn.ac.uk).

William Ritchie, February 2006. 

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