In the latest Classification of High-quality Scientific Journals in China's Geography and Resource Disciplines, Journal of Natural Resources, as a key publication in the evaluation, is ranked in the T1 category (indicating journals approaching or achieving world-class standards) across three fields, including physical geography (108 journals in total), human geography (116 journals), and natural resources (98 journals).
Since 2019, the journal has been consistently recognized as one of the "Top 100 Outstanding Academic Journals in China" (by the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China, ISTIC) and has been awarded the title of "China's Excellent Scientific Journals" for six consecutive terms (by ISTIC). It has also received awards such as "China's Outstanding Academic Journals with International Influence" multiple times (by CNKI) and was named "China's Most Internationally Influential Academic Journal" in 2024 (by CNKI).
From 2006 to 2017 (except 2012 and 2014), the journal received funding from the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) Project for Excellent Scientific Journals. In 2021, it was included in the CAST National Society Publication Capacity Enhancement Plan for Industrial Development Services. In 2023, it was selected for CAST High-Level Chinese Journals Cultivation Project. In December 2024, it was selected for the second phase of China Excellence Action Plan for Science and Technology Journals as a leading Chinese-language journal.
Papers published in the journal have received numerous honors and awards, including being listed among the "Top 100 Most Influential Academic Papers in China", being reprinted and excerpted by the Information Center for Social Sciences of Renmin University of China, being included in collections such as Explorations in Territorial Spatial Planning and Advances in Theoretical Research on Territorial Spatial Planning by the Ministry of Natural Resources of the P. R. China, receiving provincial and ministerial awards from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the P. R. China and social science associations, and the CAST Awards for Outstanding Academic Papers in Journals.