Deserts

• Fleshy stems to store water.
• Deep and/or wide roots to help obtain as much water possible.
• Leaves are small, often spikey and have a waxy coating, to reduce water loss via transpiration.
• Sparse plant growth
• Seeds only germinate when it rains.

The Australian Outback

The outback could be considered an economic benfit to Australia.

Tourism:

• The number of tourists has increased from 5,000 in 1961, to 400,000 in 2005. Providing a good income for the area.
• However the tourists can cause some problems: the Aboriginal people get exploitated and they don't take the opportunity to learn about the Aboriginal culutre. Instead they visit to see the sunset in Uluru. 

Mining:

• Mining employs the vast majority of people living in the outback.
• It is one of the largest iron ore sources in the world.
• They export much of their resource to China.
• Due to China's high demand in 2008, the price of iron increased by 70%.

Farming:

• Farming is very hard in the Outback
• There is little rainfall and soils with low fertility.
• When it does rain there is only just enough water to look after the cattle.
• To make the most money, farms are huge, one is as big as Wales!

Managing the Challenges

Farming:

• There are two main water sources: reservoirs and dams, and boreholes.
• Recent drought has put pressure on water and land supplies, leading people to question whether the resources are being used sustainably.

Tourism: An Aboriginal Cultural Centre has been built. This employs about 30 local people, providing an income to the area. Also the admission fees goes to the Anangu community to help them develop.

The Sahara Desert

Energy:

There is thought to be a large reserve of oil and gas under the desert. It is the main source of income for Algeria. Due to the running out of fossil fuels, Algeria is looking into new sustainable and renewable methods.

Drilling for oil is difficult since:

• Food has to be flown in for the 40,000 workers
• They have to drill deep down to access the reserves.

Irrigation:
Land around the Nile Valley is currently used for irrigation due to the quality of the land. Due to salinity, the government has set up a $70 billion scheme to irrigate more land away from the Nile Valley. They will transport water from Lake Nasser to the Western Desert.

The scheme aims to:

• Provide more jobs for hte locals
• Improve roads and transport links
• Promote tourism
• Enbale them to produce high value crops.

Desertification:
The Sahel is a belt of land south of the Sahara desert which is slowly becoming a desert due to desertifications. The main causes are:

• Over grazing
• Climate getting drier
• Demand for fuel wood increasing.

To resolve and reverse this: the number of farm animals has been reduced, more trees and crops have been planted as well as keeping animals and earth dams have been built.