Spatial explicit land use/cover changes (a), potential soil retention service (b), and hierarchical cluster analysis (complete linkage) of 20 counties based on the proportion of effects on potential soil retention (c) of TGR area. Note: Aff, afforestation; Urb, urbanization; Sto, storing water; Oth, other land use/cover changes. The figure (a) was derived from land use/cover maps in 2001 and 2015. We estimated the potential soil loss rate of 2015 through the land use/cover map of 2015 and the rainfall of 2001 (Scenario I), then combined the actual soil loss rate of 2001 to generate the figure (b). In figure (c), the relative contributions were calculated by Eq. (11), and the minus sign in front of the number indicates that the corresponding land use/cover change type would exacerbate soil loss. Moreover, the plus or minus sign after the name of the county indicates that the overall effect of all land use/cover changes between 2001 and 2015 has a positive or negative impact on soil retention service in this county.

Spatial explicit land use/cover changes (a), potential soil retention service (b), and hierarchical cluster analysis (complete linkage) of 20 counties based on the proportion of effects on potential soil retention (c) of TGR area. Note: Aff, afforestation; Urb, urbanization; Sto, storing water; Oth, other land use/cover changes. The figure (a) was derived from land use/cover maps in 2001 and 2015. We estimated the potential soil loss rate of 2015 through the land use/cover map of 2015 and the rainfall of 2001 (Scenario I), then combined the actual soil loss rate of 2001 to generate the figure (b). In figure (c), the relative contributions were calculated by Eq. (11), and the minus sign in front of the number indicates that the corresponding land use/cover change type would exacerbate soil loss. Moreover, the plus or minus sign after the name of the county indicates that the overall effect of all land use/cover changes between 2001 and 2015 has a positive or negative impact on soil retention service in this county.

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Climate and land use/cover changes are among the primary driving forces for soil loss, but their impacts are complex because of their interactions. Decoupling their effects could help to understand the magnitude and direction of soil loss change in response to human activities. Meanwhile, the overall and relative roles of land use/cover changes on...

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