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Averaged over 4000 m in elevation, Tibetan Plateau (TP) functions as an important ecological security barrier in China. Alpine ecosystems present a trend of overall improvement under the influence of climate change and human activities, yet there are localized deteriorations. To improve the ecological function of the TP, large‐scale ecological restoration projects (ERPs) have been carried out over the past 30 years, which could be classified into three stages, that is, Exploration (1989–2003), Rapid Growth (2004–2014), and Comprehensive Development Stage (2015−present). With a total area of 850,000 km2, the ERPs include forest protection and construction, grassland protection and construction, water and soil erosion control, and desertification land management. The positive effect at the local scale has been widely verified, but the responses of productivity and species diversity were inconsistent. The positive effect at the regional scale gradually emerges, yet the spatial heterogeneity is significant, and the quantification of driving forces is an important prerequisite. There is a significant increase of rare wild animals in natural reserves, though it failed to curb the loss of animal and plant diversity in artificially planted areas. The long‐term effects of various ERPs on biodiversity should be taken into account so as to optimize the ecological measures and build a sustainable management model after project restoration. By summarizing the above achievements and problems of ERPs, we proposed a stepwise ecological restoration and adaptive management scheme by different restoration goals and reference modes, that is, "Environmental treatment—Ecological restoration projects—Adaptive management." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ES relationships on the TP predominate by synergy but some subregions are tradeoff. • ES relationships on the TP are mainly influenced by precipitation. • Human activity is a driving factor that cannot be ignored in ES relationships in subregions. Ecosystem services (ESs) are the cornerstone of human well-being. On the Tibetan Plateau and in its subregions, understanding the effects of the spatiotemporal continuity in the trade-offs/synergies of ESs, and identifying their drivers, is crucial for ecosystem conservation and sustainable development. In this study, we investigated the spatiotemporal variation of four ESs (WY, water yield; SR, soil retention; HQ, habitat quality; CS, carbon sequestration) on the Tibetan Plateau, in 2000–2020. We introduced a new indicator (RESI, Index of the relationships between ESs) to measure the trade-offs/synergies among ESs and their magnitudes, and used GeoDetector to analyze the drivers of ESs and their relationships. The following results were obtained: (1) The four ESs exhibited similar geographical characteristics, being higher in the southeast and lower in the northwest. The spatiotemporal variation of WY and SR was similar to the precipitation trend. WY, SR and CS increased significantly (p < 0.05) in the region by 10.60%, 14.59% and 29.29%, respectively, while HQ remained stable across 79.41% of the area. (2) Most ES relationships on the Tibetan Plateau were found to be synergistic, except for WY_HQ, where trade-offs were observed, with trade-offs and synergistic areas accounting for 49% and 48%, respectively. (3) The climate was found to be a key driver of ESs and their relationships on the Tibetan Plateau. However, apart from climate, human activity was found to be dominant along the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra, while vegetation and topography dominated in Naqu on the Qiangtang Plateau and Southeast Tibet, respectively. This study uncovers disparities in the impacts of natural and human activity factors on ES relationships, providing valuable insights for decision-makers to maximize the benefits of ESs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]