This Site is composed of the vast Emajõe Suursoo mire complex, parts of Lake Peipsi and its largest island, Piirissaar. It features fens, swamps, mixed forests, peat bogs, reedbeds and agricultural areas. Two moss species listed in Annex II of the EU’s Habitats Directive are present, Dicranum viride and Hamatocaulis vernicosus. The Site is an important spawning area for fish such as the endangered wels catfish (Silurus glanis) and the endemic peipus whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus maraenoides). The Site is frequented by large numbers of waterbirds for moulting and staging, and is also the most important breeding area in Estonia for the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), the jack snipe (Lymnocryptes minimus) and the black grouse (Tetrao tetrix). The Site is extremely important for the hydrology of Lake Peipsi, and frequent monitoring programmes are carried out. Human activities include fishing, farming, hunting, berry picking, and boating.