With the objective of safeguarding ecological security, and biodiversity, as well as the rational allocation of land resources in extremely arid areas, a minimum cumulative resistance model was used to analyze the minimum resistance distribution during the spatial expansion of ecological sources, by classifying the importance of the protection of ecological land and establishing an ecological land planning scenario. Additionally, the driving factors affecting the spatial distribution of ecological land in Yutian county were discussed. The results show the following: (1) the ecological land in Yutian county is divided into four types, i.e., the ecological core area, ecological control area, ecological transition area, and ecological protection area. with areas of 9622.20 km², 1078.45 km², 10846.70 km² and 8322.65 km², respectively. Among these areas, the ecological core and ecological control areas were mainly distributed in the South Kunlun Valley and the Keriya river and related tributaries forming part of the study area. The ecological transition and ecological protection areas were mainly distributed in the vast desert and Gobi regions in the east and north; (2) Yutian county ecological land planning is restricted by natural and socioeconomic factors, and is affected by the development of an oasis economy, verdurization, urbanization, population expansion, people's income and so on. Ecological land planning in Yutian county is expected to provide an important scientific basis for the rational development and protection of ecological lands in extremely arid areas.