Spatiotemporal Dynamics and Driving Factors of Water Conservation Capacity in China's Yellow River Water Conservation Area

Assessing water conservation functions is critical for sustainable water resource utilization under the changing climate. Spatiotemporal variations of water conservation capacity, driven by climate change and human activities, cause regional socio-economic disparities, yet existing methods fail to accurately characterize factor interactions and are limited to single underlying surfaces, reducing global applicability. To address this, this study integrates the Water Conservation Index (WCI) and geographic detector to evaluate 1985–2022 long-term dynamic changes of water conservation capacity and its driving factors in China's Yellow River Water Conservation Area with complex underlying surface and severe climate change, improving large-scale research reliability. Results show an abrupt 2000 shift in capacity, decline then rise, consistent with climate change; it displays a south-high-north-low pattern, consistent with soil water content (SWC). SWC dominates spatial distribution, followed by ET, LST, and LAI yet precipitation drives SWC. Two-factor interactions between SWC and ET exceed single-factor effects. Post-2000, land use change, urban expansion, and GDP growth boosted FVC and thereafter capacity. These findings provide a theoretical and methodological foundation for water conservation protection under complex conditions, and scientific support for water resource allocation and climate change adaptation policies, facilitating global sustainable development.