本文彙整作者實際田野調查及其它已發表的排灣、魯凱、達悟、泰雅、賽德克族燒墾農耕之調查文獻，進行整理、分析及討論，尤其著重於農地開墾方式、輪耕時序及作物種類之說明，並進一步探究原住民燒墾農耕作業所蘊涵的傳統生態知識。由資料彙整分析之結果得知，山田之耕作期約為2-4 年，休耕時間約為3-8年，即休耕時間約為耕作時間的1.5-2.0 倍。每戶平均約有4-10 筆耕地，其中2-4筆為耕作中的農地，3-7 筆為休耕中的農地，每戶所擁有的耕地面積總和平均約在2-3 ha 之間。就作物栽種而言，單筆農地內常同時或分批栽培有核心作物、間植(混植)作物及副產作物，又不同農地在同一時期所栽培之作物也不盡相同。本文由多物種經營、棲地保護、資源循環使用、生態過程經營及適應性經營等角度切入，探討與台灣原住民燒墾農耕經營有關之傳統生態知識，可提供林業及國家公園等單位在原住民活動區域執行經營管理上的參考。

Swidden agriculture system has long been practiced by aboriginals in Taiwan. This study focused on integrating and analyzing swidden agricultural practices and associated traditional ecological knowledge of six aboriginal tribes (Paiwan, Rukai, Tao, Atayal and Sediq) in Taiwan; and with special emphases on land reclamation, crop rotation and species of crops. In general, every family owned 2-3 ha of agricultural land scattered in 4-10 patches, among which 2-4 patches were under cultivation while the remaining 3-7 patches left as fallow. Each patch was cultivated for 2-4 years to produce crops, and then left fallow for 3-8 years. Multiple crops, main crops and outgrowths could usually be found in one patch, and also various crops were grown in different patches during the same season. Traditional ecological knowledge, including multiple crops growing, habitat protecting, resource rotating and adaptation management were discussed in this article; and could be proposed for governmental land managing administrations, such as forest bureau and national park administration, for their management of lands once used by aboriginals.