This was an important innovation, because the camel's abilities to thrive in harsh desert conditions and to carry large loads cheaply made it an effective and efficient means of transportation.
Trade was the mainstay of the urban economy in the Middle East, as caravans negotiated the surrounding desert, restricted only by access to water and by mountain ranges.
This marsupial inhabits the deserts of central Australia where the onset of rains and the resulting sudden growth of vegetation are extremely unpredictable.
Desertification is accomplished primarily through the loss of stabilizing natural vegetation and the subsequent accelerated erosion of the soil by wind and water.