[4][5] Established in 1975 by a decree of Sultan Qaboos bin Said,[6]: 1  the reserve protects an area of roughly 172 ha (430 acres)[1] around the estuary and former delta of Wadi Aday,[7]: 24  between the Gulf of Oman coast and the foot of the Hajar Mountains.

The moist, sandy, saline soils of the sabkha flats just above high tide feature Suaeda aegyptiaca, S. fruticosa, Cressa cretica, Aeluropus lagopoides, Halopeplis perfoliata, Arthrocaulon macrostachyum, Zygophyllum qatarense, and other halophytes.

Terrestrial fauna include the Arabian red fox and Balochistan gerbil; sea turtles are thought to have visited the area until recent increases in human development.

[9]: 47–48 Qurm Nature Reserve protects one of the largest mangrove forests in the Gulf of Oman ecoregion, a biome that supports a diverse variety of marine, terrestrial, and avian wildlife.

[7]: 39  Oman is part of the Central Asian-Indian Flyway for migratory birds,[10] and the reserve, like other estuaries, provides a stopover ground where waterbirds can rest and feed during their migrations.

[2] Archaeological studies have found evidence of the presence of Stone Age humans in what is now the reserve as long as 6000 years ago, seasonally harvesting oysters and whelks from the mangrove forests.