It is difficult for the natural secondary shrub originated from subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest by repetitive disturbance to recover to the arbor forest without protective measures. To explore the response of soil water storage capacity and fertility quality of shrub to different disturbance, moderate human disturbance and protective human disturbance(PHD) were taken in typical natural secondary shrub with high human disturbance as control during the period 2012-2015 in Lin'an, Zhejiang Province, China. No protective measures were taken in high human disturbance stands, but artificial interference activities such as wood chopping and herb gathering occurred occasionally. As for the protective interference, no one was permitted entry. Target trees in the natural secondary thickets were selected and tended in moderate human disturbance stands. The integrated soil fertility was determined by Nemero index, and correlation methods were used to estimate the comprehensive evaluation index of soil. Compared with the control, the soil total storage, retention storage and short term storage in protective disturbance and moderate disturbance plots increased by 12.41%, 5.33%,17.37% and by 29.13%,33.23%, 26.24%, respectively. Compared with control, soil maximum water-holding capacity, capillary water holding capacity, and minimum water-holding capacity in protective disturbance and moderate disturbance plots increased by 23.35%, 9.51%, and 17.55% by 48.63%, 56.08%, 71.05%, respectively. Comprehensive soil fertility of protective disturbance and moderate disturbance plots increased by 15.43% and 58.94% respectively when compared with control. Available nitrogen, organic carbon and soil organic matter of protective disturbance plots increased by 12.11%, 38.91% and 38.94%. Moreover, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, organic carbon and soil organic matter of moderate disturbance plots increased by 61.97%, 90.57%, 130% and 130.04%. The integrated soil quality index of protective disturbance and moderate disturbance plots increased by 15.43% and 58.94%, respectively. Bivariate correlation analysis indicated that there were strong positively correlation between the comprehensive soil fertility, soil water storage and soil organic carbon. The results showed that protective disturbance treatment decreased soil density, increased the total soil porosity, total water storage, available nitrogen and organic matter, which could be attributed to the faster growth rate of the trees and increasing amount of litterfall owing to the prohibiti on of firewood chopping and collection. Moderate disturbance not only banned firewood chopping and collection, but also selected and tended the target trees, releasing their competition. It accelerated the closure and biomass of the secondary shrub and enhanced the capability of vegetation interception on precipitation, thus, lessening precipitation on soil erosion. Tending biomass was kept inside leading an increase amount of litter. Compared to the high disturbance and protective disturbance, moderate disturbance decreased soil density, increased soil capillary, noncapillary, total porosity, total water storage, available nitrogen and organic matter. Protective disturbance and moderate disturbance reversed the retrogressive succession of the secondary shrub, accelerated the trees growth and improved the stand structure, resulting in improved soil nutrient cycling, increased soil organic matter and integrated fertility, forming a better status of tree growth and soil recovery, which promoted each other. In conclusion, MDH is better than PDH in leading the secondary shrub community to achieve the desired goal of soil water storage and water conservation, fertility and carbon sequestration. Thus, in the presence of favorable operating conditions, moderate human disturbance could be selected to accelerate the soil restoration of shrub.