Soil Conservation and Influencing Factors in Xiangyang City, Hanjiang River Basin

Xiangyang City is the core area of soil erosion in the Han River Basin, with serious problems of soil erosion and a weak soil conservation capacity. The spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of soil conservation in Xiangyang City, Han River Basin, from 2000 to 2020 were analyzed using the InVEST-SDR model and the PLUS contribution methodology. The results show the following: (1) The amount of soil conservation per unit area in Xiangyang in 2000, 2010, and 2020 was 1.84 × 105 t/km2, 1.59 × 105 t/km2, and 1.96 × 105 t/km2. This was concentrated in some areas, such as Baokang County, Nanzhang County, and Gucheng County. The soil conservation in Zaoyang, Xiangzhou, Yicheng, and Laohekou was relatively low, while the soil conservation capacity in the Xiangcheng and Fancheng areas was weakest. (2) The areas with the highest value of soil conservation were mainly concentrated in the forest areas in the southwest and northwest of Xiangyang, where the vegetation coverage is high and the altitude is low. The areas with low soil conservation were mainly concentrated in the eastern central part of Xiangyang, which is mainly farmland, with less vegetation and relatively flat terrain. (3) The amount of soil conservation is mainly influenced by two factors—vegetation coverage and terrain—indicating that vegetation management strategies should be tailored to local conditions. This article differs from previous watershed research areas by exploring the influencing factors of soil conservation in Xiangyang City and deeply analyzing the changes in importance and the spatiotemporal differentiation of ecosystem service functions. This conclusion can provide data support for environmental management and decision-making in the Xiangyang region, helping to achieve the sustainable development of the regional ecological environment and economic society.