Abstract: The traditional agro - ecosystem and indigenous botanical knowledge of the Dulong ethnic group in the Dulong Jiang (Dulong River) watershed of northern Gaoligong Mountains in western Yunnan, China are extensively investigated and studied through the approaches of human ecology and ethnobotany. Living in a very isolated environment, the Dulong people have established very close relationships with plants and the plant environment. The agro - ecosystem in the Dulong Jiang watershed is a typical montane swidden agro -ecosystem in which there are various traditional cultivars and local landraces of crops with potential value out-side of their area.

Key words: Dulong people