Abstract Topsoil erosion is a widespread and major threat to terrestrial ecosystems that leads to environmental deterioration. Monitoring soil erosion dynamics and understanding the driving mechanisms are of great significance for optimizing ecological restoration programs and combating land degradation. We apply a widely used soil erosion assessment model to quantify the changes in soil erosion on the Loess Plateau (LP) in response to afforestation-induced vegetation cover and land use/cover changes. Furthermore, we examine the relationship between landscape metrics and soil erosion using spatial econometric approach. The results indicate that soil erosion in the LP substantially decreased through afforestation efforts, while the observed sediment load declined significantly as a result of soil and water conservation programs. A number of largescale ecological programs altered the spatial configuration and structural composition of the landscape from different aspects, which disturbed the formation and transportation of soil erosion, eventually resulting in a reduction in soil loss. The spatial association between landscape metrics and soil erosion indicated that properly fragmented landscapes can effectively decrease soil erosion. Due to the spatial spillover, soil erosion in one county can be affected by soil erosion in adjacent counties. Therefore, the spillover effect between counties should not be ignored, and the responsibility for formulating and implementing solutions to combat land degradation should not fall solely on individual local governments. Preferably, the cooperation between different regions should be strengthened as a critical way to improve the efficiency of programs combating land degradation.

中文翻译：

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检查土壤侵蚀对生态恢复计划和景观驱动因素的反应：空间计量经济学视角

摘要 表土侵蚀是对陆地生态系统的普遍和主要威胁，导致环境恶化。监测土壤侵蚀动态并了解其驱动机制对于优化生态修复方案和防治土地退化具有重要意义。我们应用广泛使用的土壤侵蚀评估模型来量化黄土高原 (LP) 土壤侵蚀的变化，以响应植树造林引起的植被覆盖和土地利用/覆盖变化。此外，我们使用空间计量经济学方法检查景观指标与土壤侵蚀之间的关系。结果表明，LP 的土壤侵蚀通过植树造林工作显着减少，而观测到的沉积物负荷由于水土保持计划而显着下降。一些大规模的生态工程从不同方面改变了景观的空间格局和结构组成，扰乱了水土流失的形成和运输，最终导致水土流失减少。景观指标与土壤侵蚀之间的空间关联表明，适当分割的景观可以有效减少土壤侵蚀。由于空间溢出，一个县的土壤侵蚀会受到邻近县的土壤侵蚀的影响。因此，不应忽视县与县之间的溢出效应，制定和实施防治土地退化方案的责任不应完全落在个别地方政府身上。最好，