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In certain arid areas, where pastoralism remains vital, livestock pressure on rangeland can end up deteriorating this land. Managing rangelands in a sustainable way to feed livestock is therefore a crucial issue. This comparative study examines the evolution of vegetation in rangelands in the Dhahar (Tunisia) under 2 different management systems. In this study, some of the land was overgrazed (continuous grazing at a stocking rate of 2 heads/ha), while the rest was closed to grazing for 3 years, and then subjected to controlled grazing (stocking rate of approx. 0.84 heads/ha during 2 months in the summer of 2007), then closed to grazing once again until the spring of 2008. Closing the land to grazing for 3 years has a positive impact on production, coverage rate, floristic richness and diversity, and provides evidence of the resilience of the Saharan ecosystem in these rangelands. Subjecting land to controlled grazing and then closing it to grazing does not have a negative impact on vegetation, making it an efficient tool for managing Saharan rangeland in a sustainable way.