[Objective] The change of land use and its impacts on regional ecosystem were studied to provide a theoretical basis for the optimization of spatial layout of regional land and management of mountains, rivers, farmland, lakes, grasslands.[Methods] Based on the remote sensing data of multiple time nodes and ‘3S’ technology, this research took the South Taihang area of He'nan Province to study the law and changes in land use and ecological service value from 1990 to 2016.[Results] During the period from 2000 to 2010, the land use pattern of South Taihang area changed dramatically in comparison to the other periods. Between 2000 and 2010, dryland decreased by 211.77 km², construction land increased by 319.78 km², and the changing degree of each land-use type peaked. From 1990 to 2016, the land-use in the South Taihang area mainly changed from dryland to construction land, although the reclamation of construction land to dryland became a way to supplement farmland in the later period. A large area of unused land was developed and utilized, and the reserve resources available for development and utilization reduced continually. The total value of the ecological services decreased by 3.33 billion from 21.2 billion in 1990 to 17.8 billion in 2016. The contributions of construction land, cultivated land, forest land, grassland, and water areas to the total change of the ecological service value were -90.19%, -25.75%, -17.51%, -10.93%, and 44.46%, respectively. The ecological service functions of water temperature regulation and waste treatment were considerably damaged in the South Taihang area.[Conclusion] The changes of land use and ecosystem characteristics were obvious in the South Taihang area. To balance the relationship between construction land and the protection of cultivated land, the adjustment of the land-use structure and maintenance of ecosystem services are key aspects for optimizing the spatial layout of land and ecological restoration.