 This study examined the effects of land cover change on vegetation carbon sinks in the arid region of northwest China. It found that land cover change had a positive impact on vegetation carbon sinks, with croplands contributing the most to the increase in carbon sinks. Additionally, a forestation was found to benefit the carbon sink capacity of terrestrial ecosystems, while attention should be paid to restoring and protecting native vegetation in forest land and grassland regions. This article was authored by Huyang Tu, Guli Jiapair, Tao Yu, and others.