Clarifying the evolution process of “production-living-ecological spaces (PLESs)” and the related eco-environmental response can provide scientific support for rational allocation of PLESs and optimization of territorial space development and protection mode and is of great significance for promoting ecological restoration and high-quality development in ecologically fragile areas. Mainstream research has not fully discussed the multiple ecological effects of PLES transformation in small-scale karst ecological restoration areas and has ignored the nonstructural dynamics shaping the transition of PLESs in the special area. This study uses 3S technology, which is based on karst rocky desertification (KRD) and the eco-environmental quality index (EQI), to quantitatively analyze the evolution characteristics of the PLESs and eco-environmental response in the Huajiang Gorge of southwest China from 2005 to 2020 and to analyze the main driving mechanism of the transformation of the PLESs in combination with a field survey. The results revealed that the transfer-in of production space (PS) and living space (LS) and the transfer-out of ecological space (ES) constitute the main types of regional land use transitions (LUTs). The intensity of LUTs first experienced slow growth but has since significantly increased. With the transformation of land use, the quality of the ecological environment has improved overall. The KRD continued to improve, whereas the EQI first decreased but then increased, which indicates that the ecological transformation from the EQI perspective and the KRD transformation were not completely synchronized but showed a certain lag. This study revealed that PLES transformation significantly affects the quality of the regional ecological environment. The impact and contribution of LUTs to changes in the EQI and KRD do not coincide completely. The internal conversion of ES and the conversion of ES into PS promote both an increase in the EQI and improvement in the KRD and make the greatest contribution to regional ecological environment improvement. PLES transformation is a response to the interaction of structural dynamics, nonstructural dynamics, and villagers’ land use change practices. The interaction and stimulation of different elements lead to changes in land use practices, modes, and functions in the ecological restoration area.