Abstract: As a typical tourist destination featuring both a world-class water conservancy project and abundant natural and cultural resources, the Three Gorges Reservoir Region has long attracted international attention due to its unique geographical location and the ecological and environmental effects induced by the operation of the mega-reservoir.This study aims to reveal the spatiotemporal evolution patterns and driving mechanisms of ecological risks in this important tourist destination, providing scientific support for regional ecological security.Using multi-source data—including Landsat imagery, human activity indicators (eg, population density, nighttime lights), and climate variables (eg, temperature, precipitation)—we developed a "pattern-process-mechanism-strategy" framework.Methods such as ecological risk assessment, spatial autocorrelation, standard deviational ellipse, and GeoDetector analysis were integrated to examine risk dynamics.Results show that: (1) land use underwent rapid transformation, with built-up areas expanding by 1,769.13  km2 along the Yangtze River corridor, leading to a 2.36% net loss of ecological land; (2) ecological risk shifted from localized clustering to a more dispersed pattern, characterized by “diffusion at both ends and extension along the axis” Overall, risk levels declined, with high-risk areas decreasing from 20.03% to 19.37%, while low-risk zones expanded significantly; (3) human activities exerted nearly three times greater influence than natural factors, with nighttime light intensity and built-up land proportion being the dominant drivers.Based on spatial heterogeneity, a three-tiered management strategy is proposed for risk mitigation.The study aims to provide methodological support and a basis for optimization strategies for ecological risk prevention and control, as well as sustainable development, in large water conservancy project-affected areas that are also major tourist destinations.