Environments inside and outside levees may exert different effects on the occurrence of mid-to large-sized mammals in riparian areas. To effectively conserve these species, it is important to understand how land cover across levees influences their presence. This study, conducted from March to June 2024 in Yeongyang, South Korea, monitored mammal occurrence using unmanned sensor cameras at 28 sites. Linear models were used to analyze mammal species diversity, non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) was applied to assess species-specific habitat associations at the community level, and occupancy models were used to evaluate influential factors for each species. Our results showed that mammal species diversity increased with a higher proportion of orchards inside levees, but decreased with greater proportions of orchards inside levees, and non-irrigated arable fields outside levees. For carnivores, land cover types in inside levees-including grasslands, barren areas, and water-provided important food resources and shelter. For omnivorous and herbivorous mammals, coniferous forests inside levees played a key role by offering abundant food and shelter, whereas highly disturbed land covers such as non-irrigated fields and orchards outside levees were less suitable as habitats. To enhance habitat conservation, management efforts inside levees should prioritize maintaining grasslands and coniferous forests. Outside levees, establishing undisturbed zones with barren areas and coniferous forests may help mitigate human disturbances. These findings provide essential baseline data for developing effective conservation strategies tailored to levee-associated riparian landscapes.