Desertification is one of the main ecological issues faced by Maqu alpine meadows. Therefore, in order to carry out local desertification control and ecological restoration scientifically and rationally, we studied the effect of comprehensive sand control measures (sand barrier fixation + grass planting and irrigation + enclosure) on the plant community and soil factors in the severe desertification area (mobile sandy land) of Maqu alpine meadow in different survey areas (the south bank of the Yellow River in Maqu and Horse ranch at the first Meander of Yellow River). The results showed that after implementation of the sand control measures, the dominant species of the plant community changed from Carex moorcroftii to both Elymus nutans and Carex moorcroftii. Regardless of the survey area, the desertification control measures could significantly improve the quantitative characteristics and species diversity of plant communities. It showed that the aboveground biomass of the south bank of the Yellow River in Maqu and the Horse ranch at the first Meander of Yellow River increased significantly to 18.04 g/m² and 24.67 g/m² (P<0.05), and the coverage was 23.8% and 31.1%, respectively, which was significantly increased by 487.3% and 589.2% compared with the mobile sandy land (P<0.05). The variation law of species richness and Shannon diversity index was similar to that of coverage. In terms of soil properties, in addition to pH value, sand control measures could significantly increase soil total nitrogen, total carbon, total phosphorus, available phosphorus and available potassium in the south bank of the Yellow River in Maqu and Horse ranch at the first Meander of Yellow River. The linear mixed effects model showed that after the implementation of sand control measures, the aboveground biomass was the dominant factor driving changes in soil organic matter, total nitrogen and total carbon, and its positive effects on the above soil nutrients also reached a significant level. In comparison, the contribution rate of species diversity to soil property change was lower, indicating that plant communities mainly improved soil organic matter, total nitrogen and total carbon through the mass effect rather than the diversity effect.