CHINA. Qinghai province. 2009. In the Yellow Rivers headwaters area, about 40m drive from Madoi town, towards Yushu. Sand dunes show the increasing desertification of the Tibetan plateau, with shallow lakes among the dunes. Local herders said that this area was green with grass as recent as 10 years ago. A herder family has a tent and pastures next to this desertified area (we were without a tibetan speaker, and could not communicate) About 3/4 of Qinghai's lakes have disappeared already.