Abstract: Abstract：BackgroundWind erosion is a primary driver of land degradation and desertification in arid regions, posing a serious threat to regional ecological security. Situated within the Inner Mongolia sector of China’s “Three-North” Counter-Sand Campaign, the Badain Jaran–Tengger desert ecotone lies in one of the countrys most wind-active and ecologically fragile belts, where the dynamics of wind erosion and control strategies warrant systematic study.MethodsUsing multi-temporal remote-sensing datasets (2000–2024) in combination with land-use dynamic degree analysis, land-use transfer matrices, and the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ) model, this study quantitatively assesses shifts in land-use patterns, trajectories of the soil wind-erosion modulus, and transitions among wind-erosion intensity classes, and further proposes a zoned control scheme.Results1) the study area is dominated by bare land, consistently exceeding 94% of the total area; grassland and cropland display stage-like fluctuations but a modest recovery in recent years; 2) the soil wind-erosion modulus exhibits pronounced phase fluctuations, rising from 3,905.96 t·km⁻²·a⁻¹ in 2000 to 4,360.95 t·km⁻²·a⁻¹ in 2024, with a peak of 15,532.87 t·km⁻²·a⁻¹; 3) spatially, strong and very strong erosion zones cluster along the margins of the two deserts, totaling 11,813.31 km² in 2024 (>41% of the region); (4) intensity-class transitions indicate a net increase of 5,660 km² in higher-grade erosion from 2000 to 2024, while the share shifting toward lower grades has grown in recent years, implying emerging benefits from control measures and vegetation recovery. Overall, wind-erosion processes exhibit marked stagewise fluctuations; some areas have been alleviated under interventions, yet desert margins remain priority targets.ConclusionThe proposed three-zone scheme—“engineering sand-control frontline, integrated fixation-and-retardation system, and conservation-oriented enclosure”—provides scientific support and practical guidance for the Three-North Project’s campaign and for differentiated sand-control practices in the region.