Land-use change (LUC) affects environmental factors such as soil, atmosphere, and water. Moreover, it threatens regional ecological and environmental health. Landscape pattern is an important indicator that reflects the characteristics of land-use structure, composition and spatial configuration.Landscape changes and their eco-environmental effects have received much attention from researchers and the public. Landscape ecological risk assessment focuses on spatial heterogeneity and the correlations of landscape patterns with ecological processes. The identification of ecological elements and processes in a watershed, particularly within the context of rapid urbanization and environmental change, is of great significance for landscape ecological risk assessment. The Xi River, a tributary of the Taizi River, is located in Liaoning province and runs from south to north through Benxi city. Benxi city is an important heavy industry base in China. It is famous for its metallurgical and mining industries. In recent years, mining has caused many serious environmental problems, which include environmental pollution, mining-induced desertification, and geo-environmental hazards. The landscape pattern of the Xi River Basin has changed significantly because of large-scale mining exploration and deforestation. In this study, remote sensing data, such as those acquired from Landsat TM in 1985, 1995, and 2005, and Landsat OLI in 2015, are used. Land-use types were interpreted, and the dynamic changes in the landscape pattern were analyzed. The whole basin was then divided into 340 ecological risk assessment units. In addition, landscape ecological risks of the Xi River Basin were evaluated using the ERI (Ecological risk index). Geostatistical methods and spatial autocorrelation methods were also used to explore the spatial distribution and accumulation characteristics of landscape ecological risks. The results showed that (1) since 1985, all six types of land use have changed, and the area of construction land has increased the most because of large amount of forest and farmland changing into it. (2) from 1985 to 2015, the regions with highest, higher, and moderate levels of ecological risk have increased and moved from north to south, whereas the regions with the lowest and lower levels of ecological risk have decreased and moved from south to north, thus causing ecological risks for the whole basin to increase; (3) the landscape ecological risks showed positive spatial correlation characteristics, which implied that they were prone to gathering. This study has revealed that the main reason for the temporal and spatial variation of ecological risks in the Xi River Basin is human activity. Land-use changes have the most important effects on ecological risk factors.The assessment of ecological risks in the Xi River Basin can provide a reference for ecological conservation efforts. Managers should determine an optimal combination of the present land-use types with improved reasonable land-use types to improve the land-use structure. We should undertake integrative and rational planning and land-use management aimed at alleviating ecological risks in the Xi River basin, while considering water and environmental pollution, as well as soil erosion problems together.