Abstract: NDVI is a good indicator for monitoring the vegetation change. NDVI time series data during 1982-2009, land cover data and field survey have been used to monitor the temporal-spatial change for vegetation and to analyze the effectiveness of protected area quantitatively in the vicinity of Mount Qomolangma by using the time series change trend detection and spatial analysis methods. This study reveals that the overall distribution of NDVI is with a higher value at the southern and northern and a lower value at the middle area in the vicinity of Mount Qomolangma. Inter-annual change trend and spatial heterogeneity of NDVI during 1982-2009 are completely obvious in the study area, with a distinct overall increase of NDVI during 1982-1997, and especially bigger increase in the northern area, and with an overall decrease during 1998-2009 (descending of 56.96%), including the distinct decrease in the central and northern parts of the study area and a partial increase of the NDVI of forests and scrublands in the core area of southern protected area. The long-term time series NDVI change trend and spatial difference concludes the ecological conservation engineering such as natural forest protection has made the effectiveness of protected area more outstanding since 1998.

Key words: change trend, effectiveness of protected area, Mount Qomolangma (Everest) National Nature Preserve, NDVI