Exploring the Benefits of Small Catchments on Rural Spatial Governance in Wuling Mountain Area, China

China is facing an important period of rural governance innovation and restructuring territorial spatial patterns. This paper selects catchments as the most closely related units for industrial development settlement activities, profoundly revealing characteristics transformational in mountainous areas. To date, extensive literature this area has produced a broad multidisciplinary consensus on catchment water soil conservation industry development; however, interactive mechanism ecological, social, economic networks, behind small which benefit from governance, have never been analyzed are relatively new to sphere governance. Our research argues relative importance multi-scale compared with traditional administrative village enhancing organizational benefits revitalization terms workforce, resources, capital, using case study Wuling area. presents framework explore multi-dimensional experience proposes integrate resource endowment advantages into industries transform social contained ecological environment among farmers, villages, regional However, not all cases provide positive evidence. The overall confronted complex constraints, mainly stage local historical geographical factors. Furthermore, affected by top-down “project-system” “poverty era”, logic “betting strong” single-centered allocation at grassroots level exacerbated fragmentation Generally speaking, perspective promotes linkage multi-center modes triggers theoretical thinking some extent. catchment’s helps play comparative advantage areas endogenous sustainable certain degree. promotion poverty-stricken faced lack financial foundation needs support order break through national system constraints.