Ecological security patterns play an irreplaceable role in maintaining regional ecological stability. Scientifically delineating their scope and implementing effective management constitute a key link in ecological restoration, which is of great significance for achieving sustainable regional development. This study takes the Mu Us Sandy Land, a typical region in the northern Shaanxi section of the Yellow River Basin, as the research object. It integrates ecosystem service function assessment, groundwater vulnerability evaluation, and hotspot analysis to extract key ecological source areas. The nighttime light index was introduced to optimize the basic resistance surface, enabling it to more accurately reflect the impact of human activities on ecological processes. Based on circuit theory, important ecological corridors and nodes within the study area were identified, laying a solid foundation for constructing the regional ecological security pattern. Combined with the ecological development policies of surrounding cities, targeted ecological governance strategies are proposed. The results showed that: (1) Across the four periods of 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020, a total of 89 ecological source areas were identified in the Mu Us Sandy Land, with an average area of 2081 km², accounting for 5.27% of the total study area. These areas provide high-quality habitats and diverse ecosystem services for organisms, while the low groundwater vulnerability enhances the ecological stability of the region. A total of 181 ecological corridors were extracted, with an average length of 12.64 km, including 101 important ecological corridors. Additionally, 1872 ecological pinch points and 19,746 km² of ecological barrier areas were identified, which are priority regions for ecological restoration. (2) Overall planning has been implemented for the identified ecological source areas and ecological elements. Based on the distribution of nature reserves and current land use status, a set of ecological restoration strategies has been formulated, consisting of four core components: delimiting ecological protection red lines to clarify the bottom line of ecological security; strengthening the protection and restoration of key ecological nodes to enhance the stability of the ecological security pattern; implementing zoned and classified ecological restoration measures to address specific ecological issues in a targeted manner; and promoting regional collaborative governance to form a joint force for ecological protection. This study systematically constructs the ecological security patterns of the Mu Us Sandy Land across four periods and proposes regional governance strategies, which are expected to provide reference for promoting high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin and improving ecological security in desertified areas.