The concept of watershed management and recovery degree (WMRD) was defined from three aspects, i.e., soil and water conservation, socio-economic development and ecological service function. An evaluation index system and method for assessing WMRD was established focusing on the purpose of watershed comprehensive management on the bases of expert advices and references. Tangbei watershed in Xinguo country was selected as the study case. The results showed that the selected 19 indicators for assessing WMRD could reflect the real situation of watershed management. The analytic hierarchy process was simple and practical. WMRD of Tangbei watershed increased from 0.252 in 1980s to 0.683 in 2007 after long-term management.