Abstract: Natural lakes，as a precious natural resource in Anhui Province，are defined as large water bodies formed by natural water accumulation in surface depressions. Different from artificial water bodies such as reservoirs and ponds，they are formed and evolved under the control of geological，climatic，and hydrological conditions. Moreover，characterized by relatively stable forms and ecosystems，they play important roles in regional ecological balance，economic development，and socio-cultural activities. Therefore，investigating their spatiotemporal changes and driving forces is highly significant for the protection of natural lakes in Anhui Province. This study collected data from the Thematic Mapper （TM） onboard the Landsat-5 satellite and the Operational Land Imager onboard the Landsat-8 satellite. Then，the natural lakes in Anhui Province were extracted from these data using a human-computer interaction method. This study investigated spatiotemporal changes of the lakes using the dynamic degree and land use transfer matrix. The driving factors of the changes were examined from two aspects：natural factors and social factors. From 2002 to 2022，the natural lakes in Anhui Province showed a phased change in both area and number，characterized by an initial decrease followed by an increase. In terms of lake area，the total area of the lakes decreased by 366.5 km². Specifically，from 2002 to 2012，the lake area decreased rapidly，reaching its lowest value of 2850.12 km² in 2012. From 2012 to 2022，the area gradually recovered，rebounding to 2960.97 km² in 2022. In terms of the lake number，there was a cumulative reduction of four lakes over the period. Specifically，the period from 2002 to 2007 saw a rapid decline，with an average annual decrease of 1.4 lakes. From 2007 to 2022，the number gradually rebounded，with an average annual increase of 0.2 lakes，reaching a total of 105 lakes in 2022. The changes in land use around typical lakes predominantly involved the conversion to arable land and other water bodies. In Anhui Province，the natural lake areas were influenced by both natural and social factors. The decreased runoff of the Huaihe River resulted in a decrease in inflow into the lakes，which serves as a key natural factor contributing to the reduction of the natural lake area in Anhui Province. Human activities and land use changes around the lakes are identified as important social factors for the reduction of the lake area.