Impacts of changes in climate and landscape pattern on soil conservation services in a dryland landscape

•Climate factors had a greater effect on the change of soil conservation services in comparison with landscape pattern.•The impacts of driving factors exhibited not only spatial heterogeneity but also scale dependence.•The influential mechanism was explained more comprehensively and effectively as the scale changed from watershed to township.•Township was the best control unit when making landscape governance schemes in terms of controlling soil erosion.