Objective This study aims to investigate the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and coupling relationship between landscape patterns and ecological surplus in the Kuye River basin， thereby providing guidance for ecological restoration and sustainable development in this region. Methods Taking the Kuye River basin as the study area， land use data were obtained based on six periods of Landsat remote sensing images from 2000 to 2024 using support vector machine classification and visual interpretation， and multiscale landscape pattern indices were extracted. Using statistical yearbook data from 2000， 2010， and 2024， ecological surplus was calculated based on ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity models， and the relationship between landscape patterns and ecological surplus was quantified using Spearman rank correlation analysis. Results 1） From 2000 to 2010， under the influence of high-intensity industrial and mining development and land use expansion， landscape fragmentation in the river basin significantly intensified， with patch density （PD） and division index （DIVISION） increasing markedly. After 2010， driven by policies such as the Grain for Green Program and mine ecological restoration， contagion （CONTAG） and cohesion （COHESION） exhibited increasing trends， indicating a transition of landscape patterns from fragmentation towards overall structural optimization. 2） Changes in ecological surplus were mainly driven by the rapid growth of the energy footprint. Specifically， the ecological deficit of fossil energy land expanded from 1.376 1×10⁶ hm² in 2000 to 9.28×0⁷ hm² in 2024， accounting for an overwhelming proportion of the total ecological deficit and becoming the key factor constraining the decline of ecological carrying capacity in the river basin. 3） Significant correlations were observed between landscape pattern indices and ecological surplus. CONTAG and COHESION showed extremely significant positive correlations with ecological surplus （p<0.01）， while patch density （PD）， diversity index （DIVISION）， and Shannon's diversity index （SHDI） exhibited significant negative correlations. The "fragmentation and disturbance-driven diversity" under industrial and mining disturbance exerted a significant inhibitory effect on ecological surplus. Conclusion Landscape fragmentation is the core factor regulating ecological surplus in the Kuye River Basin， and the turning point in 2010 is directly associated with regional industrial and mining regulation policies. Restoration measures that reduce landscape fragmentation and enhance the connectivity of ecological land can effectively promote the steady recovery of ecological surplus in the river basin. The findings can provide a quantitative reference for ecological restoration planning in industrial and mining-affected river basins of the Pisha sandstone region.