Ecological Studies of Human Settlements of Ethnic Groups in Southwestern Sichuan—— A Case Study of Maidi Village, Miyi County

Human settlement ecosystem (or a village ecosystem) is basically a human ecosystem with an artificial (architecture) and natural landscape based on a certain environment and natural resources. It is also a human dominating natural-social-economic complex ecosystem. Mountain areas in China are often inhabited by ethnic minority people while they are usually situated in ecologically vulnerable belts. Due to historical reasons most ethnic minority groups in China have been living in human settlements in remote mountains with a backward economy and an isolate cultural system. Taking Maidi village of Miyi county in southwestern Sichuan as case, this paper, using historical and field survey approach and energy ecological analysis method, has studied the evolution and development of village ecosystem in ethnic mountain areas in southwestern Sichuan, in order to provide some hints for village reconstruction and regional ecological restoration and rehabilitation. The studied human settlement ecosystem consists of a courtyard sub-ecosystem (artificial ecosystem), farm sub-ecosystem (semi-artificial ecosystem), forest sub-ecosystem (natural ecosystem) and wasteland sub-ecosystem (natural ecosystem). The courtyard sub-ecosystem, as a key part of human settlement ecosystem, consists of population system, domestic livestock system, methane system and among others. In landscape ecological perspective, it has village architecture, roads and fruit trees surrounding farmhouses. A major function of the courtyard sub-ecosystem is its inhabitation or housing. As for this village, it is not only a living place for local Lishu people, but also a worksite for them. Domestic livestock activities are mostly done in courtyard sub-ecosystem. In addition to goats, cattle and bees, most families have raised pigs, which could provide nutritious matters such as protein and fat for population system. A major function of livestock system in Maidi village is to provide fertilizers and animal power, with little energy directly going to population system. Farm sub-ecosystem includes irrigated terraced land ecosystem below the courtyard sub-ecosystem and dry land ecosystem above the courtyard sub-ecosystem. The input-output ratio of auxiliary energy of farm sub-ecosystem is comparatively high, which is identical with the local climatic features in southwestern Sichuan. Wasteland sub-ecosystem is chiefly composed of shrubs and grasses. Forest sub-ecosystem, which is situated at a steeper belt in the human settlement ecosystem, consists of Yunnan pine forest and mixed forest of Yunnan pine forest. Each sub-ecosystem of the human settlement ecosystem has a function of its own. The integration of all sub-ecosystems has shown a great holistic function, which gave rise to prosperity of the Lishu people and their typical culture. As a human settlement ecosystem, Maidi Village lacks exchange with outside, including exchange of materials, cultural exchange and exchange of persons. In order to reduce negative impact of consumption for fuel wood on present forests, it is desired to develop fuel forest on wasteland and on bare land in addition to developing fruit trees and soil conserving forest. The state should also give people support in use of biogas, popular use of effective stoves and use of electricity.