The impact of land use and land cover (LULC) on ecosystem services, specifically the retention and export of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, was evaluated in the plains of Khuzestan province in the southwest of Iran. The necessary data was collected through field surveys and the Google Earth Engine database. The nutrient delivery ratio (NDR) model in the InVEST software was used to model the retention and export of nutrients. The results indicate that the average retention of nitrogen and phosphorus in the region was 1703 kg ha-1 y -1 and 15.1 kg ha-1 y -1 , respectively. The average export of nitrogen and phosphorus was estimated at 323 kg ha-1 y -1 and 1.2 kg ha-1 y -1 , respectively. Nitrogen retention was highest in rangeland (1856 kg ha-1 y -1 on average) and lowest in wetland (1325 kg ha-1 y -1 on average). Phosphorus retention was highest in cropland (16.8 kg ha-1 y -1 on average) and lowest in waterbody (11.9 kg ha-1 y -1 on average). The study found that rangeland had the highest nitrogen export (averaging 353 kg ha-1 y -1 ) while wetland had the lowest (averaging 238 kg ha-1 y -1 ). Similarly, waterbody had the highest phosphorus export (averaging 1.9 kg ha-1 y -1 ) while rangeland had the lowest (averaging 1 kg ha-1 y -1 ). These results can be valuable for environmental management in the region.
