The driving effect of land use changes on ecosystem services: a case study at the Qinling Natural Reserves

Land use, meteorology and soil data in 2000, 2007, 2010, 2015 and 2020 at 14 Qinling Natural Reserves were used to analyze the impact of land use changes on water yield, soil conservation and habitat quality．The proportion of forest and grassland area in 14 Qinling Natural Reserves was found to have increased from 92.77% to 94.50% from 2000 to 2020, the forest and grassland area in the core area reached 99.14% in 2020．Water yield and soil conservation function in the reserves showed a change trend of first increasing and then decreasing from 2000 to 2020, while habitat quality was of a change process of first decreasing and then increasing．Habitat quality was more susceptible to land use change than water yield and soil conservation function．There was a large area of cultivated land and wetland in Hanzhongzhuhuan Reserve, this resulted in high water yield function, while the soil conservation function and habitat quality were low．Although other reserves have been damaged and occupied during the study period, they have been largely restored in 2020．The Qinling Nature Reserve is an important protected area in China．With the continuous strengthening of protection, the ecological environment in the reserve has been improved, but it is still necessary to strengthen monitoring and control．