[Objective] The spatial pattern change of vegetation coverage in the coastal zone of Fujian Province was studied in order to provide a decision-making reference for resource environment monitoring and early warning based on the type of major functional zone.[Methods] Based on the NDVI index, the Landsat series remote sensing data of 2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016 were selected to evaluate the vegetation coverage of the study area to characterize the change in the ecological carrying capacity of that area.[Results] ① During 2001-2016, the area of low vegetation coverage was observed to decrease, and the variation in the lower and higher vegetation coverage was more moderate; whereas, the high vegetation coverage showed an upward trend. ② During 2001-2016, the area of the improved ecological carrying capacity increased by 10.78%, while the basic stable area underwent a minor change; further, the degraded area decreased by 7.05% and the significant degraded area decreased by 3.48%. ③ During 2001-2016, the vegetation coverage area of the major functional areas was observed to decrease, and the improvement in the ecological carrying capacity was the primary change.[Conclusion] The vegetation coverage and the ecological carrying capacity of the coastal zone in Fujian Province have generally increased, and the ecological environment of the coastal zone has been continuously improved from 2001 to 2016.