Chark Moor

​Chark Moor supports suitable breeding habitat for the rare Marsh Fritillary butterfly but there is currently no breeding colony.  Our management, primarily summer grazing, is designed to improve and create more of this habitat with the hope that this endangered butterfly will colonise the site from Red Moor in the near future.

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Chark Moor supports a rich mosaic of wetland habitat types including wet heath, transitional mire communities, Molinia dominated grasslands and willow carr woodland. Deciduous woodland, scrub, running water, springs, pools and ponds provide further diversity and habitats for other important animals and plants
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​Due to the presence of these habitats and the suitability of the site for the Marsh Fritillary, Chark became part of the Mid Cornwall Moors Site of Special Interest (SSSI) in 2017. Chark Moor is managed according to a Higher Level Countryside Stewardship Agreement that runs until 2031. 

visiting and Learning at chark moor

The Gaia Trust welcomes public visits to the moor but only by prior arrangement with the Gaia Trust. Dogs are NOT permitted on the site. More

Chark Moor Ariel View

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Managing Chark Moor

Marsh Fritillary (C) Peter Eeles, Butterfly Conservation

Chark Moor is made up of two land parcels, and covers approximately 12ha of low-lying ground between two spurs, though only 3ha or so remains open. These remaining clearings have an interesting diversity of habitats for such a small area, and support a number of uncommon plant species and a large number of flowering plants of local interest.

The Higher Level Stewardship supports grassland management by grazing (hardy ponies or cattle) and scrub control. The Agreement will also support the enlargement of a previously more extensive grassland clearing in the north of the site that has not been grazed for many years. This was the areas where the last Marsh Fritillary was recorded more than 20 years ago and is the part of the site nearest to neighbouring red Moor when those butterflies can still be found. We hope that enlarging and then grazing the clearing will attract Marsh Fritillaries  back to the site.

Finally, the Gaia Trust will over the next decade work to increase the age variability and understory diversity in the wet woodland on site. As well as having a variety of generalised wildlife benefits, we hope the change will encourage the much threatened willow tit to make the woodland home. This activity has been planned with advice and support from the University of Exeter and Cornwall Birds (CBWPS) willow tit population monitoring PhD study - More. They will monitor the site for willow tits during this time.

Chark Moor is also part of the People's Trust for Endangered Species' National Dormouse Monitoring Project and there are 50 monitoring boxes there.

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