The Site consists of a sand-shell spit with islands in a shallow bay of the Sea of Azov and a delta area of the Berda River with numerous estuarine lakes. It is important as a nesting ground and migratory stop for waterfowl such as the internationally threatened common pochard (Aythya ferina). Between August and October the Site supports up to 46,000 birds, notably including more than one percent of the regional population of the common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula). Juvenile sturgeons depend on the Site as fattening ground. Vegetation includes emergent and submergent species, with the Site’s saline floodplain swamps supporting nationally threatened and endemic plant species. Human activities are conservation education, fishing and recreation; Berdianska spit is famous for numerous health resorts with mud baths. A 160-year-old lighthouse, one of the oldest in the region, is situated on the spit’s southern tip. Threats to the Site include intensive tourism, overfishing and climate change. In 2021 the boundary was delineated more accurately and extended to include the Berda River mouth, increasing the total area by 6,619 hectares.