[Objective] To examine the spatiotemporal characteristics of land use/cover change and underlying forces in the Dongjiang River basin in order to provide useful information for optimizing the way of land use and supporting the construction of the big-bay area in Guangdong

Hongkong

and Macao.[Methods] Based on a series of land use/cover data derived from remote sensing images

we analyzed land use/cover change in the basin during 2001-2013 using several metrics such as land use net change

annual change rate

and the integrated degree of land use dynamics. The gray-relevance analysis was used to explore the driving forces of land use/cover change in the basin.[Results] ① Evergreen broadleaf forest

grassland and cropland used to be four major types of land use/cover in the basin

while evergreen broadleaf forest became the dominant type during 2001-2013. ② Although shrubs

mixed forest

evergreen broadleaf forest

and grassland experienced significant change

their areas were relatively stable due to the inter-conversions among those land types. ③ The extent of built-up land was the highest in the lower-reach areas

higher in the mid-reach areas

and the lowest in the upper-reach areas of the basin. ④ Population growth

urbanization

technology renovation

and rapid economic development were the main driving forces that trigger land use/cover change in the basin.[Conclusion] Land use/cover change in the Dongjiang River basin over the past decade was beneficial to the protecting of ecological environment and water resources

and was also contributive to the construction of the big-bay area of Guangdong

Hongkong and Macao.