Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for the restoration of the degraded grassland ecosystems gain considerable global attention. However, the ecological restoration performance still requires further clarification. A meta-analysis focuses on the degraded grasslands in China to systematically assess the restoration effectiveness of protection measures (PM), restoration measures (RM), and management measures (MM). The results show that all three measures significantly increase total nitrogen (TN), soil organic carbon (SOC), and microbial biomass carbon (MBC), with PM exhibiting the most pronounced improvement in TN (24.09 %), while RM exerts the strongest effects on SOC (26.89 %) and MBC (42.21 %). RM and PM significantly increase total phosphorus and potassium content in soil and significantly lower soil pH, and RM significantly increases microbial biomass nitrogen (75.96 %). MM and PM elevate soil water content, whereas MM also reduces soil bulk density. All three interventions significantly increase aboveground biomass (AGB), with RM inducing the greatest enhancement (100.97 %). MM (28.16 %) and RM (121.46 %) significantly promote belowground biomass (BGB). Only MM results in a significant increase in vegetation coverage (13.88 %). Under MM, both temperature and precipitation positively influence species diversity, and precipitation shows significant positive correlations with AGB and vegetation coverage. Under RM, temperature enhances both AGB and BGB, whereas precipitation promotes AGB, vegetation coverage, and species diversity but suppresses BGB. Under PM, temperature inhibits species diversity. Overall, RM is recommended for improving SOC, microbial biomass, and plant biomass, while MM is more suitable for enhancing soil structure and moisture conditions, and climatic drivers should be considered for targeted restoration.