Abstract: Most of the nature reserves need to alleviate poverty in their regions while protecting their ecosystems. The spatial pattern of rural settlements in natural reserves is the result of multiple factors such as local natural environment, social economy and so on. The study on the spatial pattern of rural settlements in nature reserves can identify the spatial characteristics and differentiation rules of settlements, and provide decision-making support to regulate and guide future rural development in nature reserves, and to coordinate ecological protection and economic development. Taking Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve as an example, the study analyzes the scale, shape and distribution of rural settlements in Yaoluoping Nature Reserve using landscape pattern analysis and GIS, and explores the impact of topography, water resources, location and social factors on the pattern of rural settlements. The study has the following findings:(1)The spatial patterns of rural settlements in Yaoluoping Nature Reserve differ greatly from one functional area to another. To be specific, settlements in the core and buffer areas are clustered together and have smaller sizes and unregular shapes, whereas the settlements in the experimental area are clustered together and have larger sizes and regular shapes. (2)Terrain, water system, and road have a notable impact on the spatial pattern of the settlements in the reserve. For instance, most rural settlements are located less than 200 m away from rivers and roads at an elevation of no more than 800 m and a slope of less than 15°.(3)The spatial pattern of settlements is also closely related to social factors such as population distribution, economic development, and protection policies.