Using hot deserts in rich countries
\nMap of Australia
\nPicture
\nUluru or Ayer’s Rock
\nPicture
\nUses of the Australian outback
\nTourism
\nUluru or Ayers Rock is a scared site for the aboriginal Anangu people. he surrounding environment is very sensitive, but despite this – the
\nnumber of visitors has risen dramatically from 5000 in 1961 to 400,000 in 2005
\ntourism can bring economic benefits to the local people e.g. when they buy aboriginal arts and crafts
\nThere are some problems:
\nAboriginal culture is often exploited and adapted to provide entertainment
\nPeople come for the ‘experience’ of the sunset at the sacred rock, but may learn nothing about aboriginal culture or beliefs while they are there
\nThe Anangu have no role in the management or development of the tourist resort where most visitors stay<\/p>\n
Farming
\nit can be difficult to make a living from farming in the outback
\nthe soils are poor, with little organic matter to retain moisture, and plants are low in nutrients
\nif water is available, there’s just about enough grass to feed cattle or sheep – but only in quite low numbers
\nin order for farmers to make any money the farms are huge – some are the size of Wales!<\/p>\n
Hunting and gathering
\nAustralia’s aboriginal peoples have traditionally survived by hunting and gathering – finding edible plants and animals in the outback
\nThe created conditions in which the grubs live and breed
\nThey built dams across rivers to catch fish, and to make pools where birds would gather
\nThey used fire to drive out animals for hunting, to clear wood, and to allow grass to grow. As a result, fire-tolerant plants (eucalyptus trees) came to dominate the landscape
\nAustralia now has a growing ‘native food’ industry based on traditional aboriginal knowledge of what’s edible in the outback<\/p>\n
Mining
\nMost people in the outback work in mines. Australia has some of the world’s largest reserves of quality iron ore, silver and gems such as opal. Coober Pedy in South Australia is the opal capital of the world – 70% of the world’s opal comes from there
\nMost of Australia’s iron ore is sold to China. Every day, several trains (2.2 km long) carry the material to the port at Dampier
\nAustralia with Simon Reeve
\nExcellent series talking about Australia – http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/b01xzcwd\/clips<\/p>\n
Managing the challenges
\nFarming
\nFarming in the outback is very challenging, because of the lack of water. Farmers have two main water sources:
\nmost farms have dams and reservoirs to store water for sheep and cattle
\nthe farmers also use boreholes to tap into underground water
\nAlthough farmers can currently meet the challenges of the harsh desert environment, recent droughts in Australia have put pressure on the land and water supplies. This has led people to question whether both water and land are being used sustainably.<\/p>\n
Tourism
\nThe new Uluru Aboriginal Cultural Centre educates visitors about aboriginal culture and history. Its displays include photos, spoken histories, aboriginal language learning, videos and artefacts. Aboriginal guides also lead outback walks to inform visitors about bush food, as well as the significance of Uluru as a sacred site and other cultural subjects. The new Cultural Centre provides economic as well as cultural benefits. The income from the admission fees goes to the Anangu community. Today over 30 aboriginal people work in the park, and the park’s management is dominated by aboriginal owners.<\/p>\n
Retirement
\nThe Sonora Desert in the USA attracts retired people moving to places like Phoenix for the sunny climate and open spaces. This is called retirement migration.
\nPicture<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"