The matching relationship between water and land resources in the karst mountains is closely related to regional ecological and environmental security, human well-being, and high-quality socio-economic development. Based on a massive literature review, this review systematically summarizes the research overview, development process, and matching mechanism of karst water and land resources. The results show the following: (1) Since 1990, the number of publications on karst water and land resources has shown a steady upward trend, with the journals covering multiple fields, characterized by multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary features. (2) The matching relationship between water and land resources in karst mountainous areas has experienced three stages: “single element–binary matching–multiple coupling”. It reveals the evolutionary process from focusing on the single internal system of water and land resources to focusing on the mutual matching relationship between water and land resources, and then to the study of multiple coupling between water and land resources system and other external systems. (3) The internal coordinated development of the water and land resources system in karst mountainous areas depends on the joint interactions of natural, economic, and social factors, while the external matching mainly focuses on the mechanism around the three aspects of water and land resources and agricultural production, ecological environment, and economic and social development. Furthermore, the review proposes that future research should explore the matching of water and land resources in karst mountainous areas through theoretical framework construction, model innovation, scale refinement, and mechanism analysis. The expected results will provide a scientific reference for advancing theoretical research on karst water and land resources and optimizing their management.
