Abstract: The rocky desertification is becoming one of the most serious menaces in the eco-environmental vulnerable karst mountain areas of southwest China during economic development in new century. Much progress had been made in theories, means, techniques, successful experiences and measures of policy and management of ecological reconstruction and sustainable development in karst mountain areas since 1990, therefore, the progresses and weakness points of karst rocky theory are summarized. Based on the above researches, the connotation of karst rocky desertification is discussed and it is suggested that the concept of rocky desertification includes three characteristics, which are that regional differences of formation and distribution and manmade driving, the landscape spatial heterogeneity and scale of rocky desertification, the regional difference of rehabilitation benchmark. Last, some conclusions for further studies are demonstrated. Rocky desertification research should be under the guidance of earth system science and ecological economy theories, sticking to the man-land relation, and research should pay attention to the coupling actions of eco-system structures and the conversion of research scale, and to the restoration mechanism other than the genesis mechanism of rocky desertification, attach importance to the reciprocity between land ecological pattern and ecological process, carry out ecological economics comprehensive research of eco-region (watershed).