Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Vegetation Coverage Change in the Emei Mountain Area Based on Landsat Imagery

Vegetation coverage is one of the main indicators of ecosystem change. Analyzing the vegetation indicators and spatial distribution characteristics in a region can provide a theoretical basis for regional ecological environment planning. Using Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 original data from 1997, 2003, 2009, 2015 and 2021, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was extracted and the spatial distribution and changes in plant coverage were obtained through a pixel-based binary simulation method. We conducted an analysis of the spatial and temporal variation laws of vegetation coverage under different factors, including elevation, slope degree, slope exposure and human activities. Three aspects of results can be deduced from the remote sensing images-based spatial temporal analysis. The analysis shows that the average vegetation cover is higher at lower elevations (195–647[Formula: see text]m) and middle elevations (647–1005[Formula: see text]m). However, the average vegetation cover decreases significantly at lower elevations, with urbanization being the main driver of regional vegetation cover evolution and tourism and mining activities being secondary drivers.