Loch Druidibeg was a UNESCO biosphere reserve for 37 years

Loch Druidibeag, north-east of Howmore, runs from lime-rich machair grassland through the loch to acid moorland, a cross-section of everything the west side of South Uist has. It was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1976 and a National Nature Reserve. The reserve status was de-declared in 2012 and the biosphere title withdrawn in 2013, as the schemes were reorganised; the loch remains a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Ramsar wetland. It is an important breeding site for native greylag geese and a sanctuary for the corncrake, a bird now almost confined in Britain to the Western Isles.