(CNN) -- It could be a scene from "Lawrence of Arabia" -- a herd of wild camels roaming vast desert plains under the scorching sun.
But the setting isn't the desert wilderness of the Middle East or the Sahara in North Africa. It's the Australian outback -- home to the world's largest wild camel population.
There are 1.2 million camels roaming virtually unchecked through vast tracks of desert and rangeland in central Australia, and debate is growing over how to control their rising numbers.
Camels are troublesome -- they cause millions of dollars of damage to farms and native wildlife -- and the Australian government has invested $18.8 million (AUD 19 million) to reduce their numbers, mainly through controlled shooting.
But some argue that supporting the fledgling commercial camel industry in Australia is not only a more sustainable alternative to culling, but one that makes more economic sense as well.
Some farmers are living happily with camels -- which were introduced to Australia in the 19th century and used originally as draft animals.
David Carter is a third-generation beef cattle producer who manages around 2,500 cattle on Wyangarie Station in Richmond in Australia's northern state of Queensland. He introduced camels to his ranch five years ago, and now owns 150 of them.
"The camels we brought back were captured ferals and we tamed them down," he told CNN. "They're quite easy to manage, there's no rocket science attached to it".
Carter said the camels are a cost effective way for him to manage the woody weed on his 48,000 acres of land, which is essential for growing the grass that his cattle feed on.
"Camels are cheaper than chemicals for weed control and better for the environment without question," he said. "If you can get a camel to do what a chemical otherwise would, it's a win-win".
CNN
