This paper aims to analyze the distribution patterns of the Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guizhou rocky desertification area, and provide efficient protection and development strategies. This region has a complex geographical environment, and it is distinguished by hosting China’s largest ethnic minority population and the highest concentration of autonomous ethnic counties among contiguous impoverished areas, with numerous traditional villages. Thus, it is significant to conduct a comprehensive study of traditional villages within this domain, with a particular focus on their centralized preservation and strategic utilization. This research employed ArcGIS and Geodetector software for a rigorous analysis of the spatial distribution characteristics and influential factors of traditional villages in the Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guizhou rocky desertification area. The key findings can be summarized as follows. (1) The traditional villages in this region predominantly exhibit an agglomerative distribution pattern, with pronounced concentrations in southeast Guizhou and secondary concentrations in Anshun and Guilin. (2) Natural environmental factors, social economic factors, and national cultural factors impact the distribution of traditional villages synthetically by positive, median, or negative correlation. (3) The results of the Geodetector show that, significantly, social economic and national cultural factors exert a more pronounced influence than natural environmental factors, especially population density and intangible heritage quantity. The interaction of multiple factors shows an enhanced trend. (4) From the perspective of formation mechanism, natural environmental factors serve as foundational elements shaping the original distribution pattern; national cultural factors act as dominant determinants, accentuating spatial distribution distinctions across various regions and social economic factors emerge as critical catalysts for the sustainable development of traditional villages. The interaction factors can have a more profound impact. Furthermore, it is expected that this study will contribute to the effectiveness of ecology and economy in this area and more analogous regions.

The Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guizhou rocky desertification area is characterized by a fragile ecological environment, along with the inhabitation of many ethnic minorities, making it the region with the most poverty-alleviation targets among the 14 concentrated poverty-stricken areas in China. However, this area has obvious cultural resources, but it lacks systematic study. Therefore, integral investigation and research which can promote the sustainable development with abundant culture resource should pay more attention to it. This study, with 1113 national and provincial intangible cultural heritage projects in this area as research objects, used ArcGIS to visualize their geographic data for research. Geodetector was used to quantify the influence of relevant factors and analyze the distribution characteristics and influencing factors of intangible cultural heritage in this region. By providing a correlative strategy, the aim is to promote the coordinated development of the regional cultural economy. The results are as follows: (1) Guizhou exhibits the highest distribution of intangible cultural heritage projects, followed by Guangxi and Yunnan, indicating an uneven number of intangible cultural heritage projects. (2) A spatial analysis shows the clustered spatial distribution of intangible cultural heritage projects in this area, forming a high-density core area and multiple sub high-density areas with high spatial autocorrelation. (3) The spatial distribution of intangible cultural heritage in the rocky desertification areas of Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guizhou is generally correlated with survival orientation and natural environmental factors and positively correlated with development orientation and social, economic, ethnic, and cultural factors. Among many factors, cultural environment quantity exhibits the strongest correlation with the spatial distribution of intangible cultural heritage. (4) Based on the degree of correlation with different influencing factors, four development strategies are proposed: digitization of intangible cultural heritage inheritance and development, multi-media intangible cultural heritage creation and dissemination, innovative construction of intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, and tourism-driven dynamic inheritance of intangible cultural heritage.