Location
Trzebiatowsko-Kolobrzeski Pas Nadmorski is the Site of Community Importance which covers the area of 18017.7 ha. It is situated in Zachodniopomorskie voivodship. The nearest towns, from which the refuge has taken its name, are Kolobrzeg and Trzebiatow.

Landscape
Typically developed streaked layout of biotopes encompasses a belt of coastal waters, the beach, embryonic shifting dunes, grey dunes with low vegetation, fixed dunes overgrown with Empetro-Pinetum and interdunal depressions with wetlands (including initial stages of peat substrates of the Rhynchosporion).

From south the area is closed by a vast depression of Pradolina Baltycka (the Baltic Praglacial Stream Valley), mostly filled with layers of low peat, drained in the past and now used as pastures. Area of Pradolina Baltycka is cut by a net of canals and more or less natural watercourses.

Large percentage of the valley's area is currently not agriculturally exploited. Due to degradation of hydrotechnical devices locally occur periodical flooding, also by saltwaters.

Ecosystem
The refuge distinguishes itself by very high level of representativeness of habitats, typical for southern coast of the Baltic Sea. The main quality of the area is a very good condition typical biotopes which create the coastal belt, particularly accumulation coast with Baltic dune Scots pine woods. Moreover many halophilic communities occur within the refuge.

Occurrence of 17 kinds of habitats from 1 Appendix of the Habitats Directive has been confirmed here including three of high priority:

• coastal lagoons
• wooded dunes of the Atlantic, Continental and Boreal region
• Alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior (Alno-Padion, Alnion incanae, Salicion albae)
• fixed coastal dunes with herbaceous vegetation (grey dunes)
• shifting dunes along the shoreline with Ammophilia arenaria (white dunes)
• Atlantic salt meadows (Glauco-Puccinellietalia maritimae)
• vegetated sea cliffs of the Atlantic and Baltic coasts
• embryonic shifting dunes
• sub-Atlantic and medio-European oak or oak-hornbeam forests of the Carpinion betuli
• degraded raised bogs still capable of natural regeneration
• bog woodland
• annual vegetation of drift lines
• humid dune slacks
• natural eutrophic lakes with Magnopotamion or Hydrocharition-type vegetation
• Northern Atlantic wet heaths with Erica tetralix
• Asperulo-Fagetum beech forests
• estuaries
• Baltic dune Scots pine woods
• alder swamp woods (Alnetea glutinosae)
• large sedge beds

Flora
Long list of species of vascular plants (over 1000 species), occurring in the area, includes a large number of taxons of protected, endangered and rare plants (136 species), with 42 protected species.

Here occur among others: sea aster, dwarf birch, sand sedge, lesser pond sedge, common centaury, umbellate wintergreen, lily of the valley, early marsh orchid, sandy pink, carthusian pink, Christmas green, great sundew, common sundew, crested fern, dark red helleborine, broad-leaved helleborine, cross-leaved heath, sea holly, glossy buckthorn, European water plantain, sea milkwort, dwarf rattlesnake plantain, common ivy, dwarf everlast, seaberry, marsh pea, wild rosemary, lesser twayblade, honeysuckle, clubmoss, antler herb, beckbean, Bog myrtle, bird nest orchid, yellow water-lily, white water-lily, common star of Bethlehem, sea plantain, lesser butterfly orchid, common polypody, cowslip, blackcurrant, saltwort, brookweed, rue-leaved saxifrage, Swedish whitebeam, Guelder-rose and common periwinkle.

Fauna
The area of Trzebiatowsko-Kolobrzeski Pas Nadmorski is a particularly valuable bird refuge. About 27 different species of birds have been identified here, among others: aquatic warbler, kingfisher, lesser spotted eagle, short-eared owl, bittern, barnacle goose, white stork, black stork, marsh harrier, hen harrier, Montagu's harrier, corncrake, black-throated diver, crane, white-tailed eagle, red-backed shrike, Mediterranean gull, little gull, osprey, ruff, golden plover, horned grebe, spotted crake, little tern, sandwich tern, barred warbler, wood sandpiper.

There are also a few species of regularly migrating birds, such as: pintail, wigeon, white-fronted goose, greylag goose, bean goose, goldeneye, sanderling, dunlin, red-breasted merganser, common eider and lapwing.

Also a few interesting species of mammals live within the area of the refuge: grey seal, porpoise, otter, moose, roe, deer, marten, beech marten, badger, weasel, harvest mouse, western European hedgehog, European water shrew, Eurasian shrew, lesser shrew, European polecat, brown hare and noctule bat.

Threats and protection
Greatest part of the area is not protected. It encompasses "Liwia Luza" nature reserve (220 ha), "Ekopark Wschodni" ecological land (260 ha), a part of "Koszalinski Park Nadmorski" Area of Protected Landscape (36 229 ha).

The area is exposed to many threats. Among the most important we should mention:

• tourist pressure in seaside belt, expansion of building and infrastructure,
• eutrophication in result of wastewater dump,
• changes connected with abandonment of exploitation of meadows, pastures and especially halophilic meadows,
• drainages, watercourses regulation, groundwater exploitation, groundwater fall, drainage of marshes, pollution of waters.