Abstract: The aim of this study is to evaluate the soil erosion change since the implementation of ecological measures such as gully consolidation and highland protection in Wangyi District.The vegetation coverage is estimated by Dimidiate Pixel Model,the distribution of soil erosion intensity in 2000 and 2019 is analyzed and the spatial aggregation evolution characteristics of soil erosion intensity are revealed based on GIS and exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA-GIS).The results demonstrate that:(1) The area of forest and grassland in Wangyi District has increased markedly,and the area with high coverage (>75%) grew by 16.51 km².(2) The condition of soil erosion in Wangyi district alleviated obviously.Soil erosion area in 2000 was as high as 70.92% of the whole area,and 55.84% in 2019.The structure of soil erosion intensity has also changed.In 2000,the study area was dominated by moderate erosion,followed by strong erosion,mild erosion,and extremely strong erosion in sequence,while in 2019,mild erosion dominated,followed by moderate erosion,strong erosion,and extremely strong erosion in sequence.(3) The distribution of soil erosion intensity has obvious spatial aggregation characteristics.The Global Moran’ I index is around 0.5,and the erosion hotspots transformed from large continuous distribution to locally concentrated scattered distribution.The erosion hotspots are mainly distributed in the slope range of 15°-25°,especially in the southwest and southeast regions.The research findings provide data support for water and soil conservation planning,design and treatment in Wangyi District.

Key words: soil erosion, vegetation coverage, ESDA, erosion hotspots, Wangyi District