Soil　erosion　has　caused　severe　ecological　problems　in　China.　Being　a　typical　reddish　soil　erosion　region　in　southtern　China,　the　hilly　areas　of　the　Hetian　Basin　in　County　Changting,　Fujian　province,　have　been　called　flame　mountainous　area,　due　to　lack　of　vegetation　covers,　extensively　exposed　bare　soils,　and　hot　weathers.　After　more　than　20　years　of　soil-loss　treatment,　the　local　ecosystem　and　environment　have　been　greatly　improved.　This　study　used　remote　sensing　techniques　and　four　scenes　of　Landsat　Thematic　Mapper　(TM)　images,　enquired　in　1988,　1998,　2004,　and　2010,　to　study　the　fractional　vegetation　cover　changes　and　accompanied　land　surface　temperature　variations　in　the　Hetian　basinal　area　during　the　period　from　1988　to　2010.　Two　remote-sensing　based　models　for　estimating　fractional　vegetation　cover　have　been　compared　in　order　to　select　a　suitable　model　for　the　retrieval　of　the　fractional　vegetation　cover　in　the　study　area.　The　two　models　compared　are　the　Carlson-Ripley　and　Gutman-Ignatov　models.　The　comparative　analysis　confirmed　that　the　Carlson-Ripley　model　had　a　higher　accuracy　than　the　Gutman-Ignatov　model　as　it　has　a　lower　systematic　error　value.　Therefore,　the　Carlson-Ripley　model　was　used　to　retrieve　the　fractional　vegetation　cover　for　the　study　area.　While,　the　land　surface　temperature　change　during　the　study　period　was　evaluated　through　the　temperature　difference　between　the　areas　inside　and　outside　the　basin　in　each　study　year.　The　results　indicate　that　the　22-year　effort　for　the　treatment　of　the　soil　loss　in　the　Hetian　basinal　area　has　resulted　in　the　notably　increase　in　fractional　vegetation　cover　in　the　area,　averagely　from　48.　83%　in　1988　to　59.　78%　in　2010.　Meanwhile,　the　difference　in　land　surface　temperature　between　the　areas　inside　and　outside　the　basin　has　also　been　reduced　from　3.　39°C　in　1988　to　2.　48°C　in　2010,　almost　1°　declined.　This　suggests　a　lowering　of　the　temperature　in　the　area　inside　the　basin.　Obviously,　the　increase　in　fractional　vegetation　cover　was　accompanied　with　the　lowering　of　regional　temperature.　Spatial　and　temporal　analysis　indicates　that　the　changes　in　both　fractional　vegetation　cover　and　land　surface　temperature　mainly　took　place　in　the　areas　inside　the　Hetian　Basin,　while　the　areas　outside　the　basin　were　rather　consistent　either　in　fractional　vegetation　cover　or　in　land　surface　temperature.　Quantitatively　analysis　suggests　that　each　10%　increment　in　fractional　vegetation　cover　would　result　in　the　lowering　of　local　land　surface　temperature　approximately　by　0.　6　to　1°C　based　on　regression　models　of　the　four　study　years.