Ecological sensitivity is reflection of ecological system to the change of natural environment and the interruption of human activities and one of the important factors for the difficulty and possibility of the occurrence of eco-environmental problem. We selected Shiyang River Basin-a typical arid inland river basin in the northwest region of China as an example. Through the reference on the research results of predecessors and field research, the ecological sensitivity of Shiyang River Basin is divided into three aspects which are the ecological risk sensitivity, soil erosion sensitivity, and biological diversity sensitivity. We established three quantitative assessing indexes including the ecological risk sensitivity index, soil erosion sensitivity index, and biological diversity sensitivity index. The comprehensive ecological sensitivity is studied in Shiyang River Basin. The temporal and spatial changes of ecological sensitivity in Shiyang River Basin in recent 30 years were discussed through grid coding and circle analysis. The results show that:(1) the ecological sensitivity of the Shiyang River Basin decreased from 1987 to 2016. The comprehensive ecological sensitivity index (CESI) value increased from 1.143 in 1987 to 1.287 in 2016, reflecting that the ecological environment of the basin is still in the direction of sustainable development. (2) The overall ecological sensitivity of the basin is high. The perennial extreme sensitive area and the perennial severe sensitive area account for 42.26% of the total area of the basin, and the spatial differentiation is obvious. The sensitivity of the upstream and downstream desert areas is relatively stable. The middle and lower reaches of the oasis area sensitivity fluctuations are more frequent, and fluctuations vary by 51.24% of the total area. This indicates that the ecological sensitivity of the basin is closely related to human activities and industrial and agricultural production. (3) At present, the overall ecological sensitivity of the basin tends to improve, but the local area has a tendency to deteriorate. The area with reduced sensitivity fluctuation is 11693.57 km², accounting for 28.82% of the total area of the basin. The area with increased sensitivity fluctuation is 9099.66 km², accounting for 22.43% of the total area of the basin. On the one hand, the local government has done a lot of work on the ecological environmental protection under the guidance of the national macro-policy. On the other hand, the local ecological environment management still has a long way to go because the global ecological environment is gradually deteriorating.