Abstract:
China's recent transition from central planning to a market economy has triggered many economic and sociocultural changes among Yunnan's ethnic groups.There are a lot of conflicts over natural resources,which often result from competing knowledge system,competing objectives and competing identification.However our knowledge about indigenous people and ecosystems in mountain region is still far from perfect.The ethnoecology refers the way in which indigenous people interact with all elements of the natural environment,including plants and animals,landforms,forest types and soils,which provides an alternative approach of way of knowing and sustainable development in the mountain region.The sustainable livelihood and development can be only achieved by strengthening indigenous knowledge and empowering local communities in the mountain regions such as Yunnan Province,Southwest China.

Key words: Ethnoecology；Indigenous Knowledge；Resource Management；Sustainable Livelihood；Mountain Region