Location
The refuge lies in West-Pomeranian voivodeship, in Goleniow, Kamien and Police counties and Swinoujscie town. The refuge encompasses Polish part of Zalew Szczecinski together with low coasts which remain under influence of its waters.

Ecosystem
The refuge has been established on waters of Zalew Szczecinski. It is a shallow (average depth 2-3 m) eutrophic estuary of the Odra river. The Odra is a main river flowing from the south, to which deliver its waters to smaller watercourses, draining local plateaus. The estuary is a place where fresh land waters mix with saline Baltic waters during autumn and spring storms. Every year 16 square km of waters flow down the Odra river to Zalew Szczecinski. During storms 7 square km of sea water get into the lagoon. In result waters of Zalew are slightly salt (up to 1%). The composition of water as well as seasonal water level fluctuations, reaching even about 2 meters, determine a character of land coastal habitats. Main vegetable community of a contact zone of land and water are reed and Bulrushes.

In winter not frozen reservoir becomes a shelter for many species of birds. Only once in a few years, during particularly frosty winters, Zalew Szczecinski gets frozen.

Zalew Szczecinski is the most important reservoir in the region for migratory water-swamp birds. Every year concentrations of thousands Anseriform birds can be observed here. They are particularly numerous during storms on the Baltic when birds look for a shelter on calmer waters of Zalew.

During hatching season the area is inhabited by greylag goose, tufted duck, white-tailed eagle, hen harrier, black kite, dunlin, red-backed shrike, common shelduck, great crested grebe, spotted crake, common ringed plover. In relatively high density occur red kite, common coot and common kingfisher. Aquatic warbler - a species in danger of extinction all over the world which recently occurred here - was not recorded during inventory organized in 2003 by Ogolnopolskie Towarzystwo Ochrony Ptakow (Polish Association of Birds' Protection).

Following species stop here in great numbers nn time of passages: whooper swan, black tern, tufted duck, common goldeneye, common pochard, common coot, common merganser, greater scaup, great crested grebe, great cormorant, bean goose and European golden plover. It has been observed that water-swamp birds occur in concentrations over 20 000 individuals.

Whooper swan, common merganser, greater scaup, black scoter, common goldeneye, smew, white-tailed eagle (up to 250 individuals) concentrate here in winter. Water-swamp birds occur in concentrations over 20 000 individuals.

Forms of nature protection
Part of waters of Zalew Szczecinski is under protection within Wolinski Park Narodowy (the Wolin National Park).

Threats
Basic threat comes from changes within natural habitats caused by building development on Zalew's coasts. Waters of the reservoir are polluted in result of discharging communal wastes as well as placing and exploiting communal wastes dumps.

Relatively new threat is connected with installing wind power stations (single turbines as well as sets of power stations) located in direct neighbourhood of Zalew's coasts. Due to using bottom set gillnets and hook-and-line gear we can still observe drownings of birds, especially diving ones.