[Objective] The developing status and issues of ecological industry in mountainous areas of Southern Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region were analyzed

and the developing strategies were proposed in order to provide references for development of ecological industry

and to support regional ecological protection and high-quality development. [Methods] Through the surveys given to local famers and corporate employees

discussions with many experts and government administrative officers

as well as access to relevant literatures

the status of ecological industry was summarized

existing issues were analyzed

and developing strategies were also discussed. [Results] In recent years

with the development of ecological restoration

five major ecological industries have been established

including dryland grain production

livestock

fruit

vegetables

and Chinese herbal medicine. These ecological industries have shown strong local characteristics and a trend for rapid development. Livestock and vegetable production showed higher economic benefits and have the potential for greatly improving farmers’ income. These two sectors have good prospects and opportunities for future development and promotion. However

there are still some issues need to be solved

such as improving coordination between ecological restoration and the ecological industry

reducing mismatches between ecological resources and the layouts of ecological industries

failures in implementing key technologies

and insufficient scientific and technological support. [Conclusion] In the future

this region should strengthen the integrated design of ecological restoration and ecological industry

develop new ecological industries

explore the utilization of ecological resources

strengthen research on key technologies

and strengthen support for scientific researches and development of a technically capable workforce.