We compiled 61 fossil pollen records on the Tibetan Plateau in the past 17 000 years to show that human-contributed acceleration in vegetation compositional change began ranging from 0.9 to 1.2 ka BP, although with a smaller magnitude than climate-driven changes during the deglacial period. We suggested that widespread human disturbance of Tibetan ecosystems occurred earlier than expected, aligning with global trends and forming a clear, datable marker of human footprint in stratigraphic records.