Above the forest is the subalpine belt (up to 1,650 m (5,410 ft)) with dwarf mountain pine (Pinetum mughi) and low-growth European blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus).
At the highest slopes is the alpine grassland belt (up to 1,725 m (5,659 ft)) consisting of lichen-covered siliceous bedrock with tussock-based grasses like (Festuca supina) and (Avenella flexuosa).
The forest is composed of a mosaic of diverse communities, principally composed of grey willow (Salix cinerea), European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), arctic dwarf birch (Betula humilis) English oak (Quercus robur), small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Norway spruce (Picea abies), which reaches its southern limits in the northern hemisphere here, and sessile oak (Quercus petraea), which reaches its northeastern limit here.
The site is a breeding ground for water birds such as grebes, water rail (Rallus aquaticus), moorhen, grey heron (Ardea cinerea), bearded reedling (Panurus biarmicus), white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), osprey (Pandion haliaetus), red kite, great cormorant and black tern (Chlidonias niger).
[3][4][5][1] The reserve consists of set of dunes, brackish lakes, bogs, and wetland forests on the southern Baltic Sea coast between Łeba and Rowy, Poland.
[5] The coastal aeolian processes have produced some of the most extensive and active mobile sand dunes, which can reach 30 m (98 ft) high, on the Baltic Sea.
[2][1] The reserve is located on the North European Plain, north-east of Warsaw, parallel to the Vistula River and is characterized by a high diversity of lowland habitats with dune belts separated by swamp areas and a mixture of forest types.
The forests are principally composed of a mixture of grey willow (Salix cinerea), European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), arctic dwarf birch (Betula humilis) English oak (Quercus robur), small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris).
[5][1] The reserve is part of the Western Sudetes mountains stretching from south-central Poland along the northern border of the Czech Republic to eastern Germany.
Above 1,250 to 1,350 m (4,100 to 4,430 ft) is the subalpine zone, which is marked by dwarf mountain pine (Pinus mugo), mat-grass meadows and subarctic high moors.
[5] The location supports bird species including raptors such as lesser spotted eagle (Aquila pomarina), hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) and Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) and birds such as aquatic warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola), marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis) and Eurasian cranes (Grus grus).