The Site lies on a floodplain between the Berezina and Vydritsa rivers in the south-east of Belarus. It is a system of oxbow lakes, forested peatlands, meadows, marshes, swamps and drainage channels. The combination of forest-mire and dry upland plant complexes is a remarkable feature of the Site. Vydritsa is internationally important for the maintenance of biological diversity within the Continental biogeographic region. During spring floods, it serves as a stopover for numerous migrating geese and ducks and as a breeding ground for nationally-threatened bird species such as the marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis) and the ortolan bunting (Emberiza hortulana). Hydrological values include flood regulation, water supply, and maintenance of groundwater level and water quality, while the peatland areas play an important role in carbon sequestration. The main land uses within the Site are forestry and agricultural activities, recreation and sport fishing. Factors adversely affecting Vydritsa’s ecological character are logging, fires, and disturbance of the hydrological regime through drainage and river canalization. Radioactive contamination caused by the 1986 accident in Chernobyl also dramatically impacted the Site.