Eerduosi National Nature Reserve. 11/01/02; Inner Mongolia; 7,680 ha; 39°48'N 109°35'E. National Nature Reserve. A typical Euro-Asian grassland and Asian desert with high ecological fragility, including a large number of permanent freshwater and saline lakes and pools. The site supports some 15,000 breeding Relict gull (Larus relictus) in May and is a staging area for 60% of the world's population of that species; some 81 other species of waterbirds are also present, including significant numbers of Whooper swan (Cygnus Cygnus) and Ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea). In the surrounding areas, about 3,900 people rely upon small-scale agriculture, forestry, and livestock grazing for their livelihoods. Desertification and soil erosion, as well as over-extraction of groundwater in this area adjacent to the Maowusu and Kubuqi Deserts, are seen as potential threats. Land use is under a holistic planning regime under the Nature Reserve authority. Ramsar site no. 1148. Most recent RIS information: 2008.