Abstract: 【Objective】 Exploring the evolutional characteristics of land use types under the function of economy and policy, especially in the southern collective forest region, plays a critical role in understanding the ecological and environmental changes. 【Method】Based on land use datasets, we established a land use transfer matrix and land use amount models(such as land use degree changes, dynamic degree of land use change, etc.)to analyze the dynamic characteristics of land use in the southern collective forest region with reference to the Landsat images of 10 provinces(autonomous region)and one metropolis in 1980, 2000 and 2015, including Fujian, Jiangxi, Sichuan and Chongqing. 【Result】Forest land, cultivated land and grassland were the three main types of land use in the southern collective forest region from 1980 to 2015. Cultivated land and grassland area actually reduced year-by-year, while forest land area increased. The transition rates of the three land use types showed an accelerating trend change as follows. In the first 20 years, woodland area increased by 0.09%, while cultivated land and grassland decreased by 0.43% and 0.07%, respectively. Cultivated land area has not increased significantly because of the implementation of the Household Contract System. During the last 15 years, the proportion of woodland area increased by 0.18%, cultivated land and grassland saw a decrease of 0.93% and 0.56%, respectively. Forest land area has not increased significantly due to the implementation of reforms in the tenure of farm land to forest and collective forest systems. During the entire study period, the most significant land use type annual change rate is construction land, while the most insignificant land use type is forest land. The comprehensive land use dynamic degree of the southern collective forest region was 0.42%. The land use dynamic of all kinds of land use types presented that early change was slow while later change was rapid. 【Conclusion】Over the last 35 years, cultivated land and construction land dominated the net change of land use in the study area, while forest land dominated the change in spatial location. Affected by economic and policy factors, with 2000 as the demarcation point, the rate of change in land use types significantly accelerated in the study area, while area under cultivated land and grassland decreased, and forest land increased slightly.