Abstract: Liqiu river basin serves as a typical region for studying ecological patterns and watershed conservation in Yalong river and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau because of its complex and diverse topography and complete vertical vegetation zonation. Based on the digital elevation model (DEM) and the vegetation landscape data in 2022, the topographic gradient effects of the spatial distribution of vegetation landscapes and the characteristics of landscape patterns in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the basin were revealed by using GIS spatial analysis and Fragstats landscape index method. The results indicated that: (1) Vegetation distribution exhibited significant topographic gradient differentiation: forests were concentrated in the altitude range of 3000～4000 m, showing a significant positive correlation with the slope and the highest proportion was on shady slopes. The area proportion of alpine evergreen shrubs increased with both the slope and the aspect gradients, and the alpine grasslands were primarily distributed on gentle slopes and sunny aspects of 3500～4500 m. The proportion of unutilized land increased with the elevation and slope. (2) The vertical differentiation of landscape pattern was obvious: the landscape fragmentation and aggregation in the upper reachers were the highet; the landscape connectivity in the middle reaches was the strongest; the patch shape in the lower reaches was the most complex, with the highest evenness and diversity, but with weaker overall landscape connectivity. Based on these findings, differentiated watershed zoning protection strategies were proposed: prioritizing wetland–grassland ecosystem protection in the upper reaches, constructing shrub–wetland ecological corridors in the middle reaches, and enhancing forest integrity maintenance and biodiversity protection in the lower reaches. The research results could provide valuable references for watershed ecological protection and spatial regulation in Yalong river and even Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.