Abstract: Based on the interpretation of TM remote sensing images of West Dongting Lake of two periods 1996 and 2004,a study was conducted on land use cover changes and their rules using transfer matrix.Results showed that from 1996 to 2004,the project of returning farmland to lake made wetland area increase by 8657.82 ha,accounting for 17.81% of the whole wetlands area.The areas of the core zone,buffer zone,experimental zone increased by 548.55 ha,368.46 ha and 2331.9 ha respectively.Because the study area is lowland lake plain and poor drainage.The flood plain area of the core zone increased by 1540.35 ha,accounting for 16.38% of the core zone wetland,Sediment deposition is heavy.In the buffer zone and experimental zone,due to the economic driving effect,forest land was mainly transformed into building land,dry land and reed land.Sediment flood plains and Carex beach mainly changed into artificial wetland.Generally speaking,the wetland area of the West Dongting Lake was in an increasing trend.

Key words: Project of Returning Farmland to Lake, West Dongting Lake, wetland resources, remote sensing monitoring, analysis on driving force