Historical State of the Ecosystem

One big desert region covers a vast majority of the interior of Australia.  While in the past these areas have been dangerous to visit, however, the desert region is becoming increasingly popular for tourists trying to visit somewhere new.

Historically, the ecosystem has changed very little over time.  Australia was first settled in the middle of the 19th century, and it was soon found out that horses were of little use for traveling in the harsh conditions of the desert.  Covering 70% of the main land of Australia, a new way was needed to be able to explore the majority of the newfound continent (1).  Bringing in cameleers, called Afghan Cameleers, the outback was able to be explored.  These cameleers were crucial in building up some of the initial infrastructure of the outback such as its railways, and they served in bringing the contractors supplies needed for building along with food and water (3).

The main reason the deserts of Australia exist is their location.  Like most deserts in the world, these occur around thirty degrees south of the equator.  Moisture collects at the equator, moves south towards the tropic savannah region of northern Australia, rain falls, and dry air sinks creating a desert below this region.  This being said, there has been slight human impact on the ecosystem due to global warming.  While climate change has meant that Australia in general is experiencing a drought, the desert is experiencing the most rain it has ever gotten! (2)

With more rain in the desert, the feral camels brought from India, Arabia, and Afghanistan were able to reproduce at higher levels than ever before.  These animals were causing a disruption in the native ecosystems of the Outback.  With the population growing at a rate that would double every 10 years, something had to be done to stop this rapid growth.  In 2008 the government issued a culling order to reduce the total population from one million to three hundred thousand (4). Hopefully, this will allow for the native ecosystems to continue to prosper, and with the increasing rainfall government intervention might need to become a common place in the deserts of the Australian Outback.