The Site is an extensive coastal wetland in the North Sea, characterized by shallow sandbanks, mudflats, salt meadows and dunes. In 2014 the Site was aligned with the Natura 2000 site, resulting in an increase in its area of 10,026 hectares. Its high food productivity, caused by the nutrient supply from the rivers Rhine and Meuse, attracts an outstanding range of species. The Site is important for the conservation of breeding, foraging and resting bird species, and more than 1% of the regional population of the northen pintail (Anas acuta) can be found. The shallow mudflats are very important spawning and nursery grounds for migratory fish. Moreover, common seal and grey seal regularly visit the Site. The main human uses include fishing, angling, boating, recreation and tourism. All these uses put pressure on the Site’s ecological character, as do other potential threats such as the disturbance of birds by aircraft, non-industrial pollution, construction work on dykes and dams, extraction activities and reclamation projects.