Abstract: The vegetation coverage in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River is crucial for maintaining the ecological balance of the region.The vegetation cover may also significantly impact the inflow and sediment transport processes of the Three Gorges Reservoir.In this study, the methods of Sen+Mann-Kendall trend analysis and partial correlation analysis were used.The data were based on the 250m resolution Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (MOD13Q1 NDVI), annual runoff, sediment load, land use, and meteorological data from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.This research investigated the spatiotemporal variation characteristics and the driving factors of NDVI in various sub-basins of the upper Yangtze River (including the Jinsha River Basin, Min-Tuo River Basin, Jialing River Basin, Three Gorges Reservoir Area Basin, and Wu River Basin), as well as their impact on the water and sediment inflow processes into the Three Gorges Reservoir.The research findings indicated that: (1) From 2001 to 2022, NDVI exhibited a fluctuating upward trend, with a continuous improvement of vegetation coverage, and a spatial pattern of lower values in the west and higher values in the east.(2) From 2006 to 2022, the runoff did not show a significant upward trend overall, while the sediment load decreased significantly.During this period, the annual runoff in the Three Gorges Reservoir area exhibited a significant upward trend, whereas the sediment load in the Jinsha River Basin decreased notably.(3) The areas driven by land use factors accounted for approximately 43% of the entire study region, followed by precipitation of about 34%.Moreover, NDVI and precipitation exhibited a positive correlation in most basins, with 20% of the area passing the significance test at p < 0.05.(4) Precipitation significantly influenced runoff, and vegetation in most basins showed a negative correlation with sediment load.In the future, vegetation cover should be enhanced, which would help reduce sediment loss.However, the impact of vegetation restoration on the hydrological cycle requires further research.