Impact Factors of Spatial Distribution and the Ecological Environment Suitability of Tujia Traditional Settlements in China under the background of Sustainable Development Goals

To explore the human-land relationship between traditional Tujia settlements and the natural environment, by applying the geographic information systems (GIS), this study constructs a suitability evaluation system for human settlements of the Tujia ethnic minority based on 12 indexes, including elevation, slope, aspect, landform, relief degree of land surface (RDLS), river, vegetation, soil, road, the ancient Sichuan salt route, temperature, and precipitation. It applies the geographical detector (Geodetector) to analyze the driving force of the settlement distribution, and the spatial pattern of human settlements suitability and the spatial relationship between the suitability and the settlement distribution are determined by fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method. The results reveal that among the 12 indexes, RDLS exercises the most significant impact on the spatial distribution of settlements, followed by the elevation, while slope has the most minor importance, and therefore the suitability for farming remained Tujia ancestors' primary concern when selecting the settlement locations. In addition, there appears to be a strong interaction between the indicators and the spatial distribution of the settlements, with the interaction effect of any two indicators being greater than that of one, suggesting that the ancestors selected the sites of their settlements based on comprehensive consideration. Moreover, the settlements are primarily located in more suitable areas with low hills and flat relief; however, some cluster in less suitable areas considering the source of income.