[Objective] Due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the connectivity of sediments within the reservoir area has significantly changed and increased, becoming one of the important factors inducing soil erosion in the region. Therefore, exploring the spatial and temporal patterns of sediment connectivity and its driving factors can provide an important basis for maintaining the stability of the ecological environment in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area and promoting the sustainable development of the society. [Methods] Taking the Three Gorges Reservoir Area as the study area, this paper elucidates the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of sediment connectivity within the Three Gorges Reservoir Area from 1985 ~ 2020 using cold hotspot analysis, and reveals the influencing factors of its changes using the Optimal Parameter-based Geographical Detectors (OPGD). [Results] The results show that: (1) From 1985 ~ 2020, the sediment connectivity in the Three Gorges Reservoir area shows an overall decreasing trend, with a decrease of 4.40% as of 2020; it presents an obvious spatial differentiation pattern of decreasing in the east and increasing in the west; (2) From 1985 ~ 2000, the range of cold hotspot areas of the sediment connectivity change in the reservoir area decreases gradually; after 2000, the hotspot areas are mainly concentrated in the main urban area of Chongqing Municipality, and the cold spot area was mainly concentrated in Kaizhou District and Yunyang County in northeastern Chongqing; (3) The spatial distribution of sediment connectivity in the Three Gorges Reservoir area is influenced by the coupling of multiple factors. Overall, soil erodibility and vegetation cover are the key factors affecting the spatiotemporal variation of sediment connectivity in the reservoir area. [Conclusions] This suggests that sediment connectivity in the Three Gorges reservoir area has shown an overall decreasing trend over the past 35 years, and that effective vegetation restoration and climate change coping strategies can help to reduce soil erosion and thus maintain the health and sustainable development of the regional ecosystem.