Spatial and temporal characteristics of soil conservation service in the area of the upper and middle of the Yellow River, China

Soil erosion is an important environmental problem in the area of the upper and middle of the Yellow River (AUMYR), China, one of the most severe soil erosion areas in the world. It is significantly influences on the ecological security and sustainable development of the region. Soil conservation (SC) service, as one of the most important regulating services provided by ecosystems, can alter soil and water processes and improve ecosystem services that ensure human welfare. Investigations of spatial and temporal characteristics of SC service play important roles in soil erosion control and ecosystem protection in AUMYR. In the past several years, restoration projects (e.g. the Grain-for-Green project) were implemented to improve SC in most of AUMYR. It is needed to evaluate the change of SC service brought about by the projects. This study carries out quantitative spatial analysis of SC services through Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) model and geographic information system (GIS) manipulation based on various datasets, such as remote sensing image, digital elevation model (DEM), climate, and land use/cover maps. Soil retention calculated as potential soil erosion (erosion without vegetation cover) minus actual soil erosion was applied as indicator for SC service. The results are like these. (1) The total amount and mean capacity of SC service in AUMYR were 7.22 billion t/a and 142.2 t/hm²·a in 2000 and 10.19 billion t/a and 200.8 t/hm²·a in 2010, respectively. South-east AUMYR exhibited a much higher capacity of soil retaining than the north-west. (2) Forest ecosystems displayed higher SC capacity than other types of ecosystems. Moreover, the SC capacity of ecosystems increased with the increasing of slope gradient. (3) Variations of SC rate (the ratio of SC to potential soil erosion in percentage) in different units (ecosystem, slope zone and city) were relatively small and ca. 90% of potentially eroded soil was retained in AUMYR. (4) The spatial characteristics of SC service in AUMYR were primarily controlled by topography at the regional scale. Vegetation cover restoration significantly improved the capacity of SC service in AUMYR in the midst year of 2000 and 2010. The results revealed that ecological restoration efforts significantly enhanced SC service of ecosystem in the study area.