[Objective] The purpose of this study is to explore the response of soil erosion to land use changes, and to provide reference for the prevention and control of soil erosion in the reservoir area, as well as to provide scientific support for the development of measures to ensure water quality security in Danjiangkou reservoir area. [Methods] Using land use data interpreted from remote sensing images, we analyzed the land use changes in the Danjiangkou reservoir area between 2002 and 2013. Additionally, using the revised universal soil loss equation(RUSLE), we simulated soil erosion to evaluate how it may response to land use change. [Results] During 2002—2013, the main land use changes resulted from conversions among forest, farmland and shrub-grassland, as well as expansion of construction area. Specifically, forest area expanded by 13.72%, the area of farmland only increased by 5.76%. Shrub-grass land area has decreased by 37.61%. The construction area increased twice. In 2002, 2008 and 2013, slight soil erosion dominated the most areas in the Danjiangkou reservoir area. In spite of the increased soil erosion intensity in construction area, the overall soil erosion intensity was reduced. [Conclusion] Implementation of grain-for-green policy, closing hillsides to facilitate afforestation, and urbanization contributed to land use and soil erosion change in the Danjiangkou reservoir area. The soil erosion in the reservoir area has a tendency to decrease in general, but in the area of urbanization, soil erosion has deteriorated sharply.