Abstract:In order to respond to the seriously ecological problems caused by soil erosion since the last century, Shaanxi Province has been implementing the Grain for Green project since 1999 as a pilot province. The project has achieved remarkablely ecological benefits in the past 20 years, and the regional soil erosion has also been under effective control. While soil erosion, as one of the important indicators of ecosystem services, is the result of the interaction between natural factors and human factors, so it's significant to assess the impact of the Grain for Green project on soil erosion under the interaction of natural factors and socio-economic factors for the sustainability of ecological restoration policies. Based on the analysis of the spatial and temporal evolution of soil erosion levels in 107 counties of Shaanxi Province using the RUSLE model, this study explored the impacts of geographic characteristics on the prevention and control of soil erosion by the Grain for Green project using the fixed-effect model of panel data. The results showed that:(1) from 2000 to 2015, the level of soil erosion in Shaanxi Province decreased significantly and the total amount of soil erosion decreased from 341.66×106 t in 2000 to 282.61×106 t in 2015. Besides, there was obvious heterogeneity in regional soil erosion intensity and its spatio-temporal variation characteristics. For example, the soil erosion intensity in Northern Shaanxi region was the highest meanwhile the decline was also the most precipitous, while Guanzhong region and Southern Shaanxi region were not. (2) The Grain for Green project had a significantly positive impact on the prevention and control of soil erosion. It showed that for every 10,000 yuan increased in investment, the amount of soil erosion decreased by 26.30 t. At the same time, compared with Guanzhong region and Southern Shaanxi region, the effect of soil erosion control in Northern Shaanxi was more significant. (3) The geographical characteristics had a significant moderating effect on the effect of the Grain for Green project on soil erosion control. Slope and rainfall had a significant regulating effect on the soil erosion control effect of the project, while the sunshine duration showed a positive regulating effect. Policy makers should fully consider the combined mechanism of natural geographic factors and socio-economic factors on ecosystem services to achieve the sustainability of ecological restoration policies.