Abstract: The analysis method of sustainable livelihoods is widely applied in livelihood development and practice of poor governance. Since the 1980s, the study of sustainable livelihoods has gained prominence abroad, and got development from three aspects, such as the concept, the establishment of analytical framework and the practice of livelihood analysis. In China, this problem has been paid great attention to from the beginning of the 21st century. There are three aspects of positive progress in analysis of livelihoods assets in poor, study on influence factors of sustainable livelihoods and application of sustainable livelihoods analysis framework. According to theoretical and practical study both at home and abroad, ecological status is the basic element which affects the ability of the sustainable livelihoods, especially in rural areas where the vicious circle of ecology-poverty is outstanding and the contradiction is sharp between livelihood needs and ecological pressure. To summarize and analyze the research results of combining sustainable livelihood and ecological management, will provide positive theoretical and practical implications for rural ecological management in our country, which is that taking sustainable livelihoods as the value orientation, to establish the mode of sustainable livelihoods embedded in ecological management will be the new road to realize takeing targeted measures in poverty alleviation.