<p>The quantitative reconstruction of land cover changes is a major component of global change studies, and pollen analysis is one of the most robust and reliable proxy indicators of land cover. Relative pollen productivity (RPP), via its calibration of pollen-vegetation-land cover relationships, has become an indispensable parameter for reconstructing vegetation dynamics and land cover evolution on geological timescales. This study synthesizes RPP estimates from eight regional studies across the Tibetan Plateau. Our objectives were to systematically analyze the key drivers of spatial heterogeneity of the relevant source areas of pollen (RSAP) and the variability of RPP values among major plant taxa, and to evaluate their efficacy in paleovegetation reconstruction. Key findings include: (1) Sedimentary basin type and size, spatial structure of the vegetation, and number of plant taxa were the main causes of differences in the RSAP. (2) Differences in RPP values of the same plant taxon were controlled mainly by the sedimentary carrier, vegetation landscape, plant species composition and spatial distribution, and pollen morphological diversity and dispersal mode. (3) Application of the MAT-REVEALS (Modern Analogue Technique-Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites) approach at Lake Tangra Yumco successfully reconciled the original pollen percentage and modern vegetation data, confirming that the calibrated RPP values substantially enhanced the reliability of the pollen-based vegetation reconstruction. These outcomes contribute to establishing critical boundary conditions for both paleovegetation modeling and climate simulations on the Tibetan Plateau, and they provide mechanistic insights into alpine ecosystem responses to climatic forcing.</p>