Coal, as China's primary non-renewable energy source crucial for national energy security, inevitably results in varying degrees of regional ecological damage during its exploitation, thereby constraining the sustainable development of local communities. Therefore, an objective assessment of coal resource development is imperative. This paper focuses on Yulin, a crucial coal production base in China, examining the ecological changes in Yulin City from 2000 to 2020 due to coal resource development disturbances. Employing the PSR model, it constructs an ecological security early warning indicator system, analyzing the temporal and spatial drivers of ecological security changes and delineating warning levels and corresponding preventive measures based on safety evaluations. The findings reveal: (1) Influenced by the extensive and intensive development of coal resources, the overall ecological security in Yulin City is suboptimal in the western and northern regions, contrasting with a more favorable status in the eastern and southern areas; (2) Elevated warning levels, categorized as severe and above in ecological security, predominantly manifest in coal mining areas such as Shenmu and Fugu, as well as in economically developed focal areas like Yuyang District; (3) Coal resource development stands out as the primary determinant influencing the spatiotemporal variations in ecological security within Yulin City. Consequently, prudent planning of the coal mining scale in Yulin is imperative, accompanied by a continual refinement of the coal industry layout. Simultaneously, heightened investments are necessary in regional ecological environmental protection and governance to facilitate the salubrious development of coal resource-centric urban areas.

Ecological security, Early warning, Spatiotemporal.