Abstract: Based on the Landsat remote sensing data in 1987, 2007 and 2017, and combined with LUCC and 31-year social and economic statistics, the ecological environmental quality in the Shule River Basin in 1987 - 2017 was comprehensively evaluated and the driving forces were analyzed by using remote sensing based ecological index (RSEI) method and the principal component analysis method of green degree, humidity, dry degree and heat degree. The results showed that the RSEI in the Shule River Basin was decreased from 0.286 in 1987 and 0.263 in 2007 to 0.215 in 2017. The proportions of ecological environment quality at a very poor grade were decreased from 83.39% in 1987, 62.36% in 2007 to 31.96% in 2017, and the proportions at a poor grade were increased from 11.57% in 1987 and 32.37% in 2007 to 61.54% in 2017, and these at an excellent grade were decreased from 2.12% in 1987 to 0.48% in 2007 and to 0.02% in 2017. Obviously, the quality of ecological environment was mainly at poor and very poor grades, and was getting worse as a whole. Climate warming and drying, the decrease in the area of forest land and grassland, the significant increase in the area of cultivated land and construction land, and the rapid growth and development of GDP, primary, secondary and tertiary industries were the main natural and artificial reasons that affected the change of ecological environment quality in the study area.