Abstract: To reveal the response mechanisms of land use and landscape pattern to the dual pressures of rapid urbanization and ecological protection in the Dongjiang River source area, based on Landsat remote sensing images from 2000, 2010, and 2020, this study quantitatively analyzed the characteristics of land use change and the evolution of the landscape pattern in the Dongjiang River source area by using the transfer matrix and dynamic degree model. The results showed that significant changes occurred in land use types in the study area from 2000 to 2020. The conversion between cultivated land and forest land was the most prominent, while the degree of conversion among other land use types was lower, though certain changing trends were still observed.Cultivated land and forest land were the dominant land use types. The rate of land use change showed an upward trend from 2000 to 2020, and the comprehensive land use dynamic degree increased from 0.14%/year during 2000-2010 to 0.39%/year during 2010-2020, a rise of 178.6%, indicating that the regional land system transitioned from a phase of “slow adjustment” to one of “accelerated restructuring”. At the landscape level, the evolution of the landscape pattern was characterized by an increase in patch density and landscape fragmentation, a rise in landscape diversity with a trend towards more balanced spatial distribution, and a decrease in landscape connectivity leading towards differentiation.At the land use type level, the fragmentation of cultivated land and forest land was prominent, the distribution and shape of cultivated land became more regular, the forest land landscape structure evolved from relatively intact to fragmented and artificial, grassland fragmentation intensified, and construction land expansion was obvious with simplified morphology.

Key words: land use dynamics, land use types, landscape pattern, evolution, Dongjiang River source area