Abstract:This study employed GIS and geostatistics technology to explore the spatiotemporal variations of vegetation from 2000-2018 by using the normalized vegetation index (NDVI) from MODIS images. The potential of vegetation restoration in the Loess Plateau was predicted by similar habitat method. The results showed that during 2000-2008, the area with low vegetation coverage decreased, while the area with high vegetation coverage increased in the Loess Plateau. The vegetation cover showed evident increasing rate (0.015 ~ 0.050/year) in the region between Toudaoguai and Longmen, and significant increasing (over 0.015/year) in vegetation cover were examined in the Yanhe, Qingjian and Tuwei River basin. A significant decreasing in the vegetation cover was observed in the downstream of Wei-Fen plain due to rapid urbanization. Similar habitat method indicated that the spatial difference of future vegetation restoration potential was significant, and the vegetation cover in the southeastern Loess Plateau had reached its maximum recovery potential, therefore there was no restoration space. There was still 25% ~ 50% potential for vegetation cover increasing in the cross areas of hilly gully and windy sandy areas. Due to the influence of the project of returning farmland to forest and grassland, the artificial vegetation had strong interference, and considering the limitation of the rainfall and water carrying capacity of the this region, we proposed that future vegetation restoration should focus on selecting local plant species, optimizing vegetation structure to improve ecological service functions. The results of this study could provide theoretical and methodological support for future vegetation restoration and soil and water conservation in the Loess Plateau.