Abstract: By using the Landsat images in 1979, 1988, 1999, 2005, and 2009, and the linear unmixed model at pixel scale, this paper analyzed the spatiotemporal variation of vegetation coverage in Beijing mountainous area. After detecting the areas of vegetation degradation or restoration, the impacts of elevation, slope, and soil type on vegetation restoration were studied. From 1979 to 1988, the vegetation coverage in the study area had no obvious change, but in the following 12 years, the vegetation coverage was seriously destroyed due to the fast development of social economy. Fortunately, many protective measures were taken since 2000, which improved the vegetation coverage to 72% in 2009, with an increment of 13% compared to the vegetation coverage in 1999. A significant correlation was observed between the variations of vegetation coverage and territorial features. The areas with poor soil or large slope were more easily suffered from degradation than other places, and the flat regions with low elevation were more affected by human activities.

Key words: Beijing mountainous area, vegetation coverage, site factor, ecological restoration, soil type