Abstract: Aims: Environmental variability (e.g. in precipitation) has a large effect on vegetation dynamics, and this often makes it difficult to assess the recovery of vegetation after a disturbance. In this study, we assessed vegetation recovery trends in response to grazing exclusion while considering for the annual environmental variability. Location: Two regions with highly variable precipitation: a steppe near Mandalgobi, in Mongolia’s Central Gobi province, and a desert steppe near Bulgan, in Mo…