Abstract: Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has unique and large-scale alpine wetlands in the world, which plays an important role in climate regulation and water supply. Due to its unique geographical environment, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a sensitive zone and an early warning zone for global climate change, which has attracted worldwide attention. Here, we reviewed the changes of wetland area, wetland soil, wetland hydrology, wetland plants and animals and their driving factors in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in recent three decades, and put forward the key directions of wetland research in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The basic characteristics of climate change in the QinghaiTibet Plateau were warming and humidifying. Wetland area decreased from 1970 to 2000. After the year of 2000, the degradation of wetland slowed down and the wetland area increased to a certain extent. The surface soil moisture of wetland decreased, carbon emission increased, and vegetation coverage decreased on the whole. The rising temperature, surface evapotranspiration, precipitation and rodent damage were the major driving forces for wetland changes. Meanwhile, wetland changes were affected by human activities, such as the increases of livestock quantity, resource exploitation, and road engineering. Due to the special geographical location and the constraint of the natural conditions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, we lack basic data of alpine wetlands. Further research should mainly focus on the application of remote sensing technology and long-term positioning monitoring means to collect basic data and carry out relevant mechanism research.

Key words: Reaumuria soongorica, Desert, Over grazing, Grassland degradation, Water distribution