Based on the characteristics of the ecosystems in western China, factors such as biodiversity maintenance and protection, soil conservation, water conservation, windbreak and sand fixation, and the protection of natural and cultural landscapes were selected to evaluate the importance of ecosystem service functions.

 The main important water conservation areas nationwide include the sources of the Tarim River in the Kunlun Mountains, the source of the Yarlung Zangbo River, the sources of the Heihe and Shule Rivers in the Qilian Mountains, the Three-River Source Region, the northern Greater Khingan Range with the sources of the Heilongjiang River, the Songhua River at Changbai Mountain, the East Liaohe River, and the Hailar River, the southern Greater Khingan Range with the source of the West Liaohe River, the source of the Luanhe River, the Qinba Mountains with the sources of the Weihe River, Hanjiang River, Huaihe River, and Jialing River, as well as water conservation areas such as the Wumeng Mountains with the sources of the Pearl River and Wujiang River, the source of the Xiangjiang River, the source of the Beijiang River, and regions such as the Dabie Mountains and the Nanling Mountains.

 The Yellow River Basin regions included in this dataset are mainly: Henan Province (Sanmenxia City); Ningxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture (Shizuishan City); Shaanxi Province (Weinan City); Gansu Province (Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Lanzhou City); Sichuan Province (Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture); Qinghai Province (Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture).