Impact of Land Use Dynamics on Ecological Sensitivity and Soil Erosion in Typical Ecological Restoration Areas of the Loess Plateau

This study aims to explore the impact of land use changes on ecological sensitivity and soil erosion in the ecological restoration areas of the Loess Plateau in Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China. By analyzing land use changes from 2014 to 2022 and integrating an ecological sensitivity assessment model, this study systematically evaluates the effects of different land use types on the regional ecological environment. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed to investigate significant differences in the effects of various land use types on ecological sensitivity and soil erosion. The results indicate the following: (1) Croplands and grasslands in the study area exhibit higher ecological sensitivity, and the risk of soil erosion has increased annually since 2022, especially when grasslands are converted into croplands, leading to a significant intensification of soil erosion. (2) Different land use types have significant differential impacts on ecological sensitivity and soil erosion. (3) The direct effect of land use changes on soil erosion is close to significance, and ecological sensitivity has a significant positive effect on soil erosion (path coefficient = 0.958, p-value < 0.001). This study also provides a new perspective for examining the relationship between ecological sensitivity and soil erosion. The findings demonstrate the importance of land use changes in explaining soil erosion, offering a theoretical basis for understanding the multivariate relationships within complex ecosystems.