Small wetlands, are vital for water resource management, environmental regulation, biodiversity conservation, and as habitats for migratory species. However, they are increasingly threatened by climate change and urbanization. In this study, small wetlands and other land use types around Chaohu Lake were extracted and validated from 2015 to 2021. The extraction and validation process involved the use of high-resolution remote sensing imagery and three classification methods: random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and maximum likelihood estimation (MLE). ArcGIS was employed to analyze changes in wetland areas and key driving factors over six years. Results indicated that RF achieved the highest classification accuracy. Throughout the course of the study, the area of small wetlands increased from 9,114.42 hectares to 10,706.84 hectares, while their numbers declined from 22,279 to 21,338. The findings of the study indicated a substantial interaction between built-up land, average annual precipitation and elevation, which exerted a significant influence on wetland dynamics. The investigation further revealed that the combined effect of these factors exceeded that of a single factor when considered in isolation. The findings underscore the effectiveness of high-resolution remote sensing images and proper classifier selection in improving the accuracy of wetland research. To preserve the ecological functions of small wetlands, reducing anthropogenic disturbances is essential. These insights provide the foundation for scientific decisions that are instrumental in achieving the long-term, continued development of small wetlands.