[Objective] The variation in water conservation capacity in different stands was studied to provide a theoretical basis for the restoration of the water conservation function and ecosystem services in Southern Jiangxi Province.[Methods] All experiments were conducted in Chongyi County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province. Two main natural forests, Phoebe zhennan and Phyllostachys heterocycla, and two typical artificial economic fruit forests, Citrus sinensis and Camellia sinensis, were selected. The water holding capacity of the litter layer and soil layer was measured by the water immersion and double ring methods. Related indices of the litter layer and soil layer were evaluated by the entropy weight method.[Results] ① The litter volume, maximum water holding capacity, and effective interception capacity of the four kinds of stand were 9.19-16.70, 13.43-31.02, and 6.99-14.08 t/ha, respectively. The average ranges of soil noncapillary porosity, effective water holding capacity, and maximum water holding capacity were 5.49%-10.05%, 57.98-100.50 t/ha, and 447.76-580.17 t/ha, respectively. All traits in the P. zhennan forest were found to be greater than in the other stands, and the lowest were in the C. sinensis forest. ② Four stands had similar changed tendencies of soil initial infiltration rate and stable infiltration rate. The order was P. heterocycla forest > P. zhennan forest > C. sinensis forest > C. sinensis forest. ③ The comprehensive scores of the water conservation capacity of the natural forests (P. zhennan forest and P. heterocycla forest) were higher than those of the economic forests. ④ The water conservation capacity of the stand was mostly affected by soil steady infiltration rate, followed by maximum water holding capacity and effective retention capacity of the litter, while the soil bulk density was the lowest.[Conclusion] The water conservation capacity of natural forests is higher than that of economic fruit forests in the hilly area of South Jiangxi Province. The land degradation and accelerated soil erosion are driven by the reduction of the water conservation capacity of artificial economic forests in this area, leading to an important ecological risk to the sustainable development of this region.