The Alaksen Area encompasses the northwestern half of Westham Island, which itself is located within the Fraser River Delta as it enters the Strait of Georgia.

In addition to the cultivated crops, the site is vegetated by various grasses in the farmland; cattails, Lyngbye's sedge, and bulrushes in the intertidal zone; and Red alder, willows and Black cottonwood, along with snowberry, salmonberry, and blackberries in the wooded areas.

The Area overlaps with the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, which has stricter protections and doesn't feature cultivated farmland.

[1] On May 24, 1987 Alaksen was designated a Wetland of International Significance under the Ramsar Convention, in combination with the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, also on Westham Island.

It was chosen because it is "a major Pacific Flyway site for migratory waterfowl and shorebirds; an excellent example of deltaic and coastal tidal wetland environments; the largest migratory bird wintering area in Canada; and the largest estuarine habitat on the Pacific coast of Canada.