[Objective] To analyze land cover change in Kumtag Desert and its surrounding area.[Method] Remote sensing was applied to monitor land cover change in reseach area, and the TM images of the study area in 1990s, 2000s and 2010s were processed, three maps of land cover classification were separately obtained. The three maps were compared mainly on the changes in vegetation and desert using ArcGIS software.[Result] (1) Vegetation increased in area, but it only covered a small proportion of all the land area; a large proportion was covered by gobi and bare land; (2) Desert area increased in the first decade and decreased in the second decade. Overall, it increased as the former outweighed the later; (3) Wetlands had the most serious vulnerability, because its changes depend on the accumulation and water loss.[Conclusion] Human beings started to improve the ecological environment, and achieved some success. The south margin of Kumtag Desert of the mountainy land are the key areas needed to be controlled and protected of desertification, and to be revegetated.