Abstract: The aim is to research the correlation between climate change and vegetation cover. Based on the data of monthly NASA GIMMS normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI), temperature and precipitation of Zhangye from 1982 to 2015, annual and seasonal variation trend of NDVI, temperature and precipitation and correlation between NDVI and climatic factors including temperature and precipitation were analyzed by using statistical methods and Pearson correlation coefficient method. The results showed that the yearly and seasonal NDVI revealed an increasing tendency, and the growth was the fastest in summer. Yearly and seasonal temperature showed a rising tendency, and the rise was the fastest in summer. Yearly precipitation revealed an increasing tendency, the precipitation in spring and summer showed a decreasing trend, and the precipitation in autumn and winter showed an increasing trend, and the growth was the largest in autumn. Annual, spring, summer and autumn temperature presented significant correlations with yearly NDVI, and the correlation coefficients passed α = 0.01 significance test. Winter temperature showed a weak negative correlation with NDVI. There were no significant correlations between annual and seasonal precipitation and NDVI. The climate change had a lagging effect on vegetation growth. Three seasons’(spring, summer and autumn) temperature had significant correlations with the next seasonal NDVI, and the correlation was not significant in winter. There was no significant correlation between seasonal precipitation and the next seasonal NDVI.