Location
The refuge is located in Pomeranian voivodship in the counties of Lebork and Slupsk. It is a part of Pobrzeza Poludniowobaltyckie region (the South-Baltic Shorelands). The refuge covers the area of over 32.5 km of the Baltic coast, a wide sea sand bar separating two lakes Gardno and Lebsko from the sea and a fragment of a seaside plain.

Ecosystem
A dominant characteristic of the refuge is a landscape of the sand bar, with naturally formed dunes, not artificially strengthen by any vegetation. It is one of a few remaining places on the southern Baltic Sea shore with dunes formed by natural geomorphologic processes. The main factor which models the surface of dunes is the wind. Dunes which cover the sand bar reach 30 m. The landscape is dynamically changing, dunal sands constantly cover up coast of the Lebsko lake as well as neighbouring forests.

The two biggest lakes - Gardno and Lebsko are remains of two sea bays. Apart from the Kamienna island there are no permanent islands. However, periodically, especially in the south-eastern part of the Lebsko lake, vegetation forms small islands, which make convenient places for birds to hatch.

Apart from the above mentioned lakes also smaller forest reservoirs are located in the refuge. A hydrographic network is completed by estuarial parts of two big seaside rivers - Lupawa and Leba, and two smaller rivers - Pustynka and Wysoka. Rivers and lakes are connected together into one system. When the water level in the Baltic sea is high we can observe periodical inflows of sea water which causes a rapid rise of the water level in the lakes and increase their salinity.

Characteristic feature of the refuge is occurrence of a mosaic of habitats. There we can observe a sequences of plant habitats from pioneering habitats to well developed Empetro-Pinetum forests.

Large area of the refuge, especially the southern parts of the sand bar and south-eastern part of the refuge, is covered by forests. Dunal sands are overgrown with different forms of woods, with rare seaside Empetro-Pinetum forest. Depressions and the lake's coasts are covered by alder swamp. In many interdunal depressions peat bogs have developed. Meadow complexes located southward from both lakes, which have been extensively exploited for over 200 years also have great natural value. Until recently it was a place of occurrence of vegetable salt communities. However, at the end of the 1960s they were drained and in result the area was dried causing Baltic dune Scots pine woods to become overgrown with scrubs and trees. Recently there have been attempts to regain the previous state.

Area of the refuge is not densely populated, only about 1000 inhabitants live there, but in summer it is visited by large numbers of tourists.

At least 25 species of birds specified in 1 Appendix of the Birds Directive have been recorded within the refuge borders. It is one of the most important hatching places of dunlin in Poland. Hatching of this bird is very irregular, which is connected with overgrowing of meadows on which it used to nest in large numbers within protected zone Zarnowska.

During seasonal migrations Lebsko and Gardno lakes are important resting and feeding place for geese (the most numerous are Taiga bean goose and greater white-fronted goose), swans and ducks: mallards, Eurasian wigeons, common pochards, which flocks may count a few thousand specimens. Peatlands which lie south off protected zone Zarnowska are place of the most numerous gatherings of cranes during migrations, which reach 5000 specimens.

Protection of Nature
The whole area is protected within Slowinski National Park. It includes the following nature reserves: Zarnowskie Legi, Gackie Legi, Klukowe Legi, Gardenskie Legi, Wyspa Kamienna, Mierzeja, Kluki, Bory Torfowe, Moroszka, Olszyna, Klukowe Buki, Bielice , Rowokol, Cieminskie Blota, Zarnowska. Because of its natural values the area has been qualified as the World Biosphere Reserve and area protected by the Ramsar Convention.

Threats
The main threat is connected with tourist traffic and development of holiday resorts around the national park. Along with the development of tourist infrastructure there appear the necessity of building roads and places, where communal wastes could be disposed of. This poses a real danger to the refuge.

Penetration of natural habitats by tourists increases the dangers birds. Careless tourists trample over habitats, scare away animals, destroy nests and kill birds.