Experience from works on the natural basis of restoration concepts for five objects in the upper Narew valley are presented. Special attention was paid to verifying the initial aims due through field surveys. According to the assumptions, the restoration aim was to maintain and create habitats for valuable wetland and open water birds and to limit organic soil degradation. Presented examples show how many circumstances determine the final restoration concept e.g. adopted goal and direction of the restoration, economic and ownership determinants, use of the reclaimed areas, their transformation and a predicted effect the actions on the surrounding grounds. The authors described the study method applied to degraded wetlands and then, based on the investigation of each object, they verified their initial assumptions with respect to the directions and range of the restoration.