It covers two river terraces, the first a strip 2 km wide along the left bank of the Dnieper and the second a higher inland terrance.

[1] The construction of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station in the 1940s raised water levels 2 meters in the boundaries, affecting the character of floodplains.

[2][3] The reserve is located in the Pontic–Caspian steppe ecoregion, a region that covers an expanse of grasslands stretching from the northern shores of the Black Sea to western Kazakhstan.

Public access is limited: mass recreation and construction of facilities is prohibited as are hunting and fishing.

Reserve staff conduct ecological excursions and educational sessions for local school children, and the scientific department hosts visiting researchers.