Land-use and land-cover changes based on 3S technique in Xishuangbanna of Yunnan Province

Land is the most basic natural resources for human beings' survival, so the transformations of land-use and land-cover (LUCC) have been the key problems of the research on changes of global environment. To build an elementary base of historical data of environment and ecology, the research on the changes of land use and land cover was carried out by remote sense(RS), geography information system(GIS), globe position system(GPS), and participatory rural Appraise(PRA). Xishuangbanna in the tropical monsoon area was taken as the fieldwork place. During the first stage, Jinuo people who lived in the mountain areas for generations would be the targeted group. On the basis of the theories of ecological anthropology, ethnic ecology and geography, this research conducted a contrast study on the Jinuo Mountain of the different periods within 35 years, with focuses on land use/land cover changes and with the help of 3S technique, PRA and fieldwork. The study results show that within the past 35 years, land use and land cover of the Jinuo Mountain in Xishuangbanna demonstrats relative stability as well as obvious dynamics. Obvious change was found in forest distribution; dry land constituted more percentage in cropland with less shifting periods; meanwhile forest landscape was fragmented, which exerted direct influences on the stability of mountainous ecosystem and eco-environment. This study concluded with that national policy and market economy were the major external forces driving all these changes. Perception of land and its value by Ji-nou ethnic group, however, was the internal factor influencing the use of land.