The existing research methods used to assess trade-off and synergy relationships within ecosystems are, however, dominated by quantification and include the use of spatial distributions, scenario analyses and model simulations [34]. Studies aimed at identifying the temporal and spatial relationships of ecosystem trade-offs have so far rarely been undertaken. In order to identify the relationships between different ecosystem services, it is crucial to first assess their changes before determining common drivers and interactions [10]. Numerous studies have analyzed the common drivers that underlie changes in ecosystem services, including LULC and climate changes, as well as policy interventions. Such drivers also impact multiple ecosystem services via their interactions [35]; for example, water and soil in natural ecosystems not only generate a multitude of services, but also provide critical linkages between multiple services. Thus, in terms of water quantity and soil conservation amount, these resources both share common hydrological processes as their abundances are driven by precipitation, vegetation cover and land use. In other words, the amount of water yield depends on soil properties and vegetation cover and further illustrates why analysis of the drivers of, and interactions between, ecosystem services is indispensable. The Three-Rivers Headwater region (TRHR) is located at the \"third pole\" in the hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau. This region is the source of the Yellow, Yangtze and Lancang river systems and is often referred to as the \"Water Tower of China\" [36; 37]. The TRHR is a priority area for biodiversity protection in China, as it is known as the \"gene bank for alpine bio-resources\"; this region is hugely significant in terms of ecosystem services provision, natural landscapes and biological diversity as well as for the maintenance of ecological security and sustainable development in China and Southeast Asia. As a result, the TRHR is also a critical ecological barrier on the Tibetan Plateau; however, because of its high altitude and harsh alpine conditions, including thin soils and a typically harsh and cold environment with surface plants dominated by alpine grassland [38], this ecosystem is also very fragile and extremely sensitive to climate change [37; 39]. Previous studies have shown, for example, that since the 1980s, a warming and wetting trend in the climate of the TRHR has dominated, accompanied by accelerated development of the agricultural economy in this region. Thus, given the double impacts of climate change and human activities, ecosystem functions of the TRHR, including water yield and soil conservation, have been severely degraded [40; 41; 42]. To mitigate these changes, a provincial nature reserve was established in Qinghai Province, China, in 2000, while a national ecological protection and construction engineering project was initiated in 2005 to carry out ecological restoration and protection measures in an attempt to protect and restore this degrading ecosystem [43]. Given this background of climate change, human activities and economic policy interference, how will plant growth, water yields and soil conservation ability in the TRHR change? What are the interactions between various ecosystem services? Research so far on the ecosystem services of the TRHR has been focused on identifying temporal and spatial changes in single service items, and few investigations have been concerned with multiple ecosystem services. The interactions between ecosystem services have so far been ignored. Thus, the aims of this study were to: (1) investigate LULC changes in the TRHR between 2000 and 2012; (2) assess temporal and spatial trends in NPP, water yield and amount of soil conservation in the TRHR; and (3) establish a double mass curve (DMC) of various ecosystem services in the TRHR and to reveal the trade-offs and synergies between various ecosystem services.