Analysis on trend evolution and driving factors of soil protection services in eastern sandy region of China

Soil erosion is the leading cause of global environmental degradation that accelerates soil degradation through climate and land use/land cover changes. The eastern sandy region of China is located at vast arid and semi-arid desert areas, and is characterized by arid climate, extreme rainfall events, vegetation degradation and poor farming practices, with serious land desertification, sandstorm disaster and soil erosion. Soil protection is the primary way to suppress soil erosion, including windbreak and sand fixation (WSF) and soil conservation (SC) service. The spatio-temporal patterns, spatial relationships and driving factors of soil protection services (WSF and SC) in eastern sandy region of China were investigated using National Wind Erosion Survey Model of China (NWESMC) and Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). The results indicated that: (1) In eastern sandy region, the total soil erosion was 17.31 × 107 t from 2000 to 2020, of which wind and water erosion was 15.8 × 107 t and 1.51 × 107 t, respectively. (2) The total amount of soil protection was 45.5 × 107 t, with WSF and SC showing opposite spatio-temporal pattern. (3) Climate factors played dominant role for the change of soil protection service, with wind speed weakening being the main reason for the weakening of WSF service, the increase of precipitation enhancing SC service. Human activities (such as ecological engineering) may play a significant part in the future. The study has implications for soil protection in arid and semiarid regions worldwide, and can offer scientific recommendations for land management and soil remediation in sandy areas of China.