Spatial patterns and impacts of soil conservation service in China

• USLE can be used to assess soil conservation service in China with high accuracy.
• Ecosystems in the south-east performed better than the north-west in erosion control.
• Rainfall and terrain dominated the spatial pattern of soil conservation service.
• Population growth did not affect soil conservation service directly.
• Land reclamation could impair soil conservation service and intensify soil erosion.

We quantified the soil conservation service of ecosystems in China on a GIS platform using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and revealed spatial patterns and impacts of this service. The results showed that the total amount and mean capacity of soil conservation service in China were 214.64 billion t a− 1 and 224.42 t ha− 1 a− 1, respectively. South-east China generally displayed a much higher capacity than the north-west, and ecosystems with a capacity of > 1000 t ha− 1 a− 1 were primarily located in mountain areas, including the Tsinling, Nanling, and Wuyi Mountains. Through comparisons, ecosystems located in the provinces of Fujian, Guangxi, Zhejiang, those in the basins of south-eastern rivers, the Pearl River, and the Yangtze River, and those at elevations of 200–1000 m all performed much better than others, from the erosion control perspective. As for the impacts, the spatial characteristics of soil conservation service in China were primarily controlled by climate and terrain at the national scale. In addition, population growth might not affect the soil conservation service directly, whereas land reclamation could impair this service and subsequently exacerbate soil erosion. Finally, the results of this study could contribute to soil erosion control and ecosystem protection in China.