The Site is one of the most representative mire areas in Finland, for its vegetation and as a breeding site for mire birds. Sedge fens with flarks and Sphagnum papillosum sedge fens are the most common mire types, with nutrient levels varying from raised bogs to rich fens. Meadowy poor fens and spruce mires run alongside the rivers, while the 13 lakes and several ponds and eskers, wooded dunes and ancient shore banks give variety to the landscape. Most of the coniferous forests are old-growth and dominated by pine. The Site also features some nationally vulnerable vascular plants such as early marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata) and marsh saxifrage (Saxifraga hirculus). Bean goose (Anser fabalis), whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus), common crane (Grus grus), ruff (Philomachus pugnax), golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria) and wood sandpiper (Tringa glareola) use the Site during their migrations. Human uses of the Site include scientific research and reindeer husbandry.