Close to Spynie Palace, the ancient home of the bishops of Moray, it is an important wildlife habitat which is protected as a Ramsar Site.

[3] In 1679 Janet Grant was convicted of stealing linen from a weaver in Gordonstoun, and taking and breaking open his money chest.

It is one of the few Scottish localities for alder swamp woodland, and has an unusual aquatic community including the nationally scarce slenderleaf pondweed.

Loch Spynie regularly supports internationally important numbers of roosting greylag geese, with up to 5% of the Iceland population over-wintering at the site.

In addition to the greylags, whooper swan, wigeon, teal, goldeneye and tufted duck arrive in the autumn some wintering.