Ecological land, providing more and more important ecological products and services compared to other land use types, is an indicator of regional eco-environmental quality and the key in building regional ecological security pattern. In recent years, ecological land receives more and more attention, so this study makes a review on the definition, classification, identification and planning of ecological land. The conclusions were as follows: (1) Ecological function or ecological effect is the main character of ecological land, and meanwhile, the ecological land is non-productive and non-constructive. The chief function is to provide ecological function and maintain regional ecological balance. (2) The identification of important ecological land should be based on its ecosystem services, ecological sensitivity and ecological vulnerability. Setting the basic line of achieving coordinated development between ecology and society requires calculating the minimum ecological land by taking dominant ecosystem services and key ecological processes. The rational quantitative structure and spatial layout of ecological land is of vital importance for pattern optimization. (3) Under the multi-scale perspective, identifying the importance of ecological land qualitatively and quantitatively, simulating ecological land dynamics under different scenarios, and applying the study results to the ecological land planning are the research focus in the future, and also the key to ecosystem management implementation.