Nan Dongting Wetland and Waterfowl Nature Reserve. 11/01/02; Hunan; 168,000 ha; 28°50'N 112°40'E. Nature Reserve. Located in the southern part of Dongting Lake, the largest lake on the plains of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the site supports important numbers of endangered Oriental Stork (Ciconia boyciana) and critically endangered Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus), as well as Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis), and produces rich fauna and flora of high economic value. It also plays an important role in the regulation and storage of flood water from the Yangtze. Some 14,000 people live within the site, chiefly practicing fishing and aquaculture in human-made ponds and growing economic crops in the mudflat areas, including some 120,000 tons of reeds annually. Deforestation in the upper reaches of the Yangtze is leading to increased flow of mud and sand into the lake bed, and pesticide runoff and industrial pollution are also seen as potential threats; in addition, the water level of the lake has descended due to the damming of the Three Gorges Project. A restoration project was approved in 2005 to strengthen the protection of diverse habitats for rare and endangered waterfowl. Ramsar site no. 1151. Most recent RIS information: 2008.