The Site is one of the most famous and largest bird lakes in Sweden; it is well known for resting and displaying cranes, 20,000 of which have been recorded on the Site. The Lake is shallow, with a mixture of open water and submerged vegetation with large areas of Chara algae and reed beds. The lake is surrounded by wet woodland and wet meadows. The Site supports nationally threatened species such as dunlin Calidris alpina schinzii, black-necked grebe Podiceps nigricollis and ruff Philomachus pugnax. The Lake has been restored in one of the largest single nature conservation projects ever carried out in Sweden. The main goal of the project was to restore the wetland conditions for birds, and a monitoring programme was established to survey the changes in fauna and flora. The Site is of high importance for tourism, recreation and educational opportunities. There are 250,000 visitors annually, many of whom are attracted by the famous dancing of the cranes in April. Visitor facilities include two information centres with an exhibition and a cafeteria, birdwatching towers, hides and nature trails.