Abstract: Many nature reserves in China face the dual historical tasks of ecological protection and rural revitalization. To study the driving mechanism of spatial evolution of rural settlements in nature reserves is of great significance for coordinating rural development and ecological protection in nature reserves. Using GIS technology, landscape pattern index, kernel density and multiple linear regression model, the driving mechanism of spatial evolution of rural settlements in Yaoluoping Nature Reserve from 1999 to 2019 was analyzed. The results show as follows:1) the area, the number of patches and the size of individual patches of the Yaoluoping Nature Reserve showed an increasing trend over the 20 years, and the morphology of the settlements changed to a complex and irregular state, with significantly more new settlements in the experimental area than those in the core area and the buffer area, and the irregularity of the patches in the core area was higher than that in the buffer area and the experimental area. 2) The distribution of settlements in the nature reserve is characterized by dense in the north and sparse in the south, with obvious directionality of roads, water systems and altitude. The high-density areas showed an increasing trend and gradually merged as one area. The expanded and increased high-density areas were basically all located in the experimental area, and the agglomeration degree of settlements in the buffer area decreased. 3) The spatial evolution of settlements is related to natural conditions such as altitude, slope, aspect and distance from rivers, but social and economic factors such as economic development, per capita income, transportation conditions and policy measures have greater impacts. This study can provide a useful reference for standardizing and guiding rural construction in nature reserves.

Key words: nature reserve, rural settlement, spatial evolution, drive mechanism