Slate dwellings are known as the “living fossil of primitive dwellings” in China. Energy-saving strategies are crucial to slate dwellings for sustainability as well as maintaining thermal comfort. In this research, a subjective satisfaction analysis on the indoor thermal environment in Daziliang village, China, was conducted. It was found that neutral temperature is 20.92 °C in summer, 8.92 °C in winter, and the actual operating temperature in winter is too low to meet the 80% acceptable range. Therefore, a series of improvement strategies in winter were proposed. The results showed that adding external thermal insulation material—expanded polystyrene board with a thickness of 80 mm on the roof and outside walls—and sunspace depth of 1.5 m are better in terms of energy-saving effects. In addition, the slate dwelling’s daily energy-saving rate of the heating day is 44.26% lower than the original state through these strategies. The air temperature of Bedroom D in winter non-heating days increases by 3.82 °C after improvement and the mean radiant temperature increased by 2.54 °C. Our approach puts forward specific energy-saving improvement measures and provides feasible suggestions for the protection and development of slate dwellings in this area.

Human activities and climate change have accelerated land use and land cover change (LUCC) globally, diminishing the ecosystem service value (ESV) in ecologically fragile areas such as highly mountainous canyons and disrupting the human–nature balance. However, existing research lacks analysis on the impact of land use changes on ecosystem service value in typical counties with highly mountainous canyon regions. Therefore, we aim to address this gap by analyzing land use changes and their driving factors in Chayu County using multi-year land use data, calculating the ecosystem service value (ESV) for different periods, and estimating its spatial correlation and stability. The results showed the following: (1) Forestland and grassland were the predominant land-use types, with notable conversions between grassland and water bodies, grassland and unused land, and water bodies and unused land. (2) The total ESV increased steadily from 2003 to 2023, with higher values in the north and west and lower values in the central east. Forestland and water areas were the primary contributors to ESV changes, and ESV sensitivity to LUCC steadily increased from 0.46% to 2.49%. (3) Moran’s I ESV shows an overall increase, with a heightened correlation and enhanced stability. Spatially, the ESV exhibited a general high–high and low–low clustering pattern, with localized high–low and low–high clusters. These changes, driven by natural resource endowments and climate change, provide essential support for ecological protection and sustainable development in highly mountainous canyons and similar regions.