Abstract:The ecological vulnerability of Lanzhou was assessed by using a combined landscape pattern and ecosystem sensitivity approach. The vulnerability indexes of landscapes and the suitability indexes of regional ecological environment were developed by using the reciprocal of fractal dimension (FD), isolation (FI), fragmentation (FN), sensitivity of soil erosion (SW). The network covering the whole study area was used to sample the spatial vulnerability of ecological environment, thus, the map of vulnerability distribution of the ecological environment was derived, and the spatial patterns of the vulnerability was analyzed. The results showed that: The vulnerability of various landscape types was in the order of grass land>farmland>unused lands>forest land>construction area>water area; Significantly positive relationships existed between FN and VI (vulnerability of landscape types), SW and VI, and they reflected the eco-environment well; There was a good agreement between the predicted and actual distribution of EVI (ecological vulnerability index) zones. The establishment of relationships between landscape information and the regional ecological responses can offer a better way to analyze and assess regional eco-environment and therefore can offer a better guide for the ecological construction in the region.