To explore the impact of topographic factors on the ecological service value (ESV), this study used images from 2000, 2010, and 2020 in Yuxi City to complete land use interpretations. The topographic gradient effect of the ESV was studied with the spatial correlation analysis. The results showed that the ESV decreased from CNY 588.33×10⁸ in 2000 to CNY 576.39×10⁸ in 2020, which was a decrease of CNY 11.94×10⁸, with a change rate of –2.03%. The ESV was presented with a significant spatial difference of being high in the west and low in the east. With the increase in terrain gradient, the advantage areas dominated by water, wetland, cultivated land, and construction land gradually changed to that dominated by forest land. The ESV increased at first and then decreased, whereby it reached a peak at the 27^th terrain position and the lowest at the 50th terrain position. The terrain gradient had extremely significant effects on the raw material value (R²>0.9), as well as significant effects on the gas regulation, waste disposal, biodiversity, and food production (R²>0.8). So, in the low-terrain area, the expansion of construction land should be controlled, while in the high-terrain area, human disturbance should be further reduced.