Abstract: The Yi people have a splendid history and culture and, during their social development, their ancestors left behind a large number of Yi inscriptions, which are an important part of the cultural treasure of the motherland. The biodiversity-related content of the Yi inscriptions is mainly based on the belief that “everything has a spirit” and the practice of “closing the mountains to let the forest grow”, etc. Through the combing of these inscriptions, the ecological concepts contained in them can be explored, which is conducive to promoting the conservation of biodiversity and maintaining ecological balance. This effort is helpful to implementation of biodiversity conservation policies today.

Key words: Yi areas in Yunnan, surviving inscription, biodiversity, contemporary significance