Western Desert Development Opportunities
Farming
Why does it happen?
Mineral Extraction
Tourism
Why does it happen?
Temperature
Challenges
Wilderness - lots of space
Unique environment
Amazing physical features
e.g. Grand Canyon in Western Desert
Why does it happen?
National Parks
e.g. Grand Canyon National Park
e.g. Joshua Tree National Park
Heritage of Native American people
Entertainment
e.g. Las Vegas - 37 million people visit per year.
e.g. Lake Powell & Lake Mead - 2 million people per year
Native American people & tourists
Damage to the environment
Too many people in the national park
Impact on pathways
Large-scale impact, unlike Lake District
Energy for Las Vegas
Conflict over water
Large-scale - lots of space
Water from aquifers and canals
e.g. Sonora in the Coachella Valley
Grow vegetables, peppers, lemons, grapes
Causes a wine industry
Challenges
Lack of water
High temperatures may ruin crops
May end up conflict over land use with tourism and mineral extraction
80% of Colorado water used for agriculture, when it makes up only 10% of the economy
Rich in minerals
Lots of sunlight means solar power can be used
Copper, uranium, lead, zinc & coal in Ajo, Arizona
Challenges
Underground water found allow mining
Conflict between other land uses
Especially tourism: Mining doesn't look aesthetically pleasing
Havasupai people halted uranium extraction, due to risk of wildlife being endangered.