Abstract: Intermittent ecological water transport is an important engineering measure to restore the ecosystem in the lower reaches of arid inland rivers. Water desalination zones with dynamic balance of water and salt are developed in riparian zones under alternating water transport and cut-off, which become the basis for maintaining the health and stability of riparian ecosystems. The ecohydrological coupling mechanism behind these zones remains to be clarified. By reviewing the research progress of hydrological and ecological response of ecological water conveyance in the lower reaches of arid inland rivers in northwest China, this paper provides scientific basis for efficient utilization of water resources and ecological protection and restoration of arid inland river basins. The research on dynamic response of groundwater in riparian zone, water transport process and simulation, water use strategy and ecological response of vegetation in riparian zone are summarized. Further research prospects and suggestions were put forward from four aspects: groundwater dynamics and vegetation response law in riparian zone under ecological water conveyance, evolution of the relationship between rivers and groundwater, water storage, regulation and storage mechanism in riparian zone, water use strategy and water consumption changes in riparian forest under alternate water transport and cut off flow conditions, and optimization of ecological water transport schemes. Future research must focus on the "river-groundwater-vegetation system" groundwater dynamics mechanism, analyze the dynamic evolution of the relationship between rivers and groundwater under the intermittent ecological conveyance condition of the lower reaches of arid inland rivers, identify the influence range and formation and evolution law of the desalination zone, and clarify the role of water storage and regulation in the riparian zone. From the perspective of vegetation water strategy and changing ecological landscape patterns to reveal the rule of river bank vegetation ecological response. Multi-source information should be used to describe the structure and process of the "river-groundwater - vegetation system", simulate and predict the groundwater salt migration and ecological response process under different ecological water transport scenarios, and put forward optimization suggestions of ecological water transport scheduling schemes for maximum ecological benefits.