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Special Areas of Conservation

Phoenix United Mine and Crow's Nest

Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Country England
Unitary Authority Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Centroid* SX265723
Latitude 50.52388889
Longitude -4.447777778
SAC EU Code UK0030238
Status Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Area (ha) 48.65
* This is the approximate central point of the SAC. In the case of large, linear or composite sites, this may not represent the location where a feature occurs within the SAC.
Location of Phoenix United Mine and Crow's Nest SAC

General site character

  • Dry grassland, Steppes (65%)
  • Broad-leaved deciduous woodland (5%)
  • Other land (including Towns, Villages, Roads, Waste places, Mines, Industrial sites) (30%)

Download the Standard Data Form for this site (PDF <100kb)

Note When undertaking an appropriate assessment of impacts at a site, all features of European importance (both primary and non-primary) need to be considered.

Annex I habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site

  • This site on the south-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor supports internationally-important Calaminarian grassland metallophyte communities. The legacy of a long history of copper and tin extraction survives as mine spoil which has been colonised by a number of metallophytic bryophytes. In particular, the site supports the only known site in the world for the endangered Cornish path-moss Ditrichum cornubicum. Other notable metallophytes include the Red Data Book liverworts Cephaloziella massalongi and the endemic C. nicholsonii, both associated with copper-rich substrates, and the mosses Pohlia andalusica and Scopelophila cataractae, the latter possibly an introduction into this country on imported ore. Many other notable bryophytes have colonised the spoil, including the liverworts Cephaloziella integerrima, C. stellulifera, Lophozia sudetica, Gymnomitrion obtusum and Marsupella funckii, and the moss Ditrichum lineare. The vulnerable liverwort Cephaloziella calyculata grows on derelict mine buildings.

Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site

  • Not Applicable

Annex II species that are a primary reason for selection of this site

  • Not Applicable

Annex II species present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for site selection

  • Not Applicable

Many designated sites are on private land: the listing of a site in these pages does not imply any right of public access.