The Site is an extensive area of shallow lakes, pools, marshes, reedbeds, willow woodland and grassland within seasonally flooded agricultural land on the shore of the Markermeer. In 2014 the Site was aligned with the Natura 2000 site, and dykes with roads were excluded, resulting in a reduction in its area of 123 hectares. The Site is of international importance for the biological diversity of the Atlantic biogeographic region. It supports threatened species of breeding birds such as spotted crake (Porzana porzana) and little bittern (Ixobrychus minutus). It also regularly supports more than 30,000 wintering waterbirds and more than 1% of the regional populations of the northern shoveler (Spatula clypeata) and the tufted duck (Aythya fuligula). The Site plays an important role in flood regulation. Land use is dedicated to water management and tourism. There are a visitors’ centre and observation hides. The main threat to the Site is bird disturbance from recreational activities.