元江河谷是我国云南省横断山脉中的干热河谷之一,属于热带半干旱河谷气候类型。具有丰富的热量资源和土地资源,但降雨量特少,生态环境脆弱,限制了多种热带作物的生长,长期以来未引起人们的重视。作者在该地区进行多年试验研究工作的基础上,从自然地理条件、生态环境,通过对比分析,论述了元江河谷热带坝区的自然优势。强调指出:该地区是我国发展优质紫胶——信德紫胶虫最理想的地方。从林业的发展方向与战略来考虑,指出今后元江河谷热带坝区的开发利用,主要是发展林业,走“生态林业”的道路。选择优质紫胶虫最好的寄主树滇刺枣作为造林树种,建立以滇刺枣人工林为主体的人工生态系统。

The Yuanjiang River valley is one of the dry-and-hot valleys in the Hengduan mountains of Yunnan province. In comparision with other river valleys of this province the outstanding characteristics of it is both hot and dry, belonging to the semi-arid climate type, and accordingly it is endowed with profuse heat resource but with low precipitation.Here the climatic conditions are not suitable for growing such tropical plants as rubber tree, coffee, coco, and the like, but are good for the excellent species of the lac insect-Kerria sindica. The Yuanjiang valley has proved to be an ideal district for cultivation of this species of lac insect and has manifested its natural superiority in this respect.As for the exploitation of the valley, it is suggested that taking an eco-forestry way to set up plantation forest of the best of the superior lac insect host tree (Ziziphus mauritiana) as an artificial ecosystem would be more profitable.