This article is designed to identify research directions in application of GIS technology in environmental protection through a literature review. Critical analysis has been used to determine the thematic scope and structure of environmental protection, while bibliometric study identifies research directions. The selection of journals to be investigated is based on journal profiles and scientific prestige, together with analyses of selected articles. Two groups of journals are studied for the period 2007 through 2009. The journals Ecological Engineering, Environmental Research, and Remote Sensing of the Environment are studied in the range of environmental protection and Computers & Geosciences, the International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, and Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing are in the range of GIS technology.