Abstract:[Objective] This study aims to explore the spatiotemporal trends and driving forces of fractional vegetation cover (FVC) in Jiangsu Province over the past decade, providing a reference for comprehensively understanding the vegetation coverage and macro-regulating related policies in Jiangsu Province. [Methods] Using the Landsat8 data from 2013 to 2022 as the data source, annual 30m resolution NDVI images of Jiangsu Province were synthesized based on the maximum value composite method on the GEE cloud computing platform. The pixel dichotomy model was applied to estimate the vegetation cover from 2013 to 2022. Various methods, including Sen’s slope analysis, Mann-Kendall significance test, coefficient of variation (CV), and Hurst index, were used to analyze the spatiotemporal trends and characteristics of the vegetation cover. Additionally, a univariate linear regression model was constructed with FVC as the dependent variable and nighttime light data as the independent variable. Residual analysis was employed to quantify the driving forces of FVC changes and to analyze the contributions of human activities and climatic factors to FVC changes. [Results] From 2013 to 2022, the annual average FVC in Jiangsu Province was 0.648, showing a fluctuating downward trend but still predominantly consisting of very high and high FVC types. Areas with a decreasing FVC trend accounted for 51.85%, while areas with an increasing trend accounted for 45.91%. The average CV was 0.16, indicating relatively low overall fluctuation. The average Hurst index was 0.56, primarily indicating weak persistence, followed by weak anti-persistence, with an overall interwoven distribution of different types, and coexistence of degradation and improvement. Human activities positively contributed to changes in vegetation cover in 86.53% of the areas, while climate change positively contributed to changes in 71.47% of the areas. [Conclusion] Over the past decade, the overall vegetation cover in Jiangsu Province has been good, with the declining trend gradually flattening out. The vegetation cover in northern and central Jiangsu is better than in southern Jiangsu, but the degradation in northern and central Jiangsu is more severe than in southern Jiangsu. The main driving forces of the changes are the combined effects of climate change and human activities, with human activities contributing more to the increase in FVC than climate change.