Sand is the most exploited natural resource in the world after water and is used to produce concrete and glass. Around six billion tonnes are dredged from the world’s oceans every year. This is “perilously” close to the natural replenishment rate of 10 to 16 billion tons per year necessary to sustain coastal and marine ecosystems, according to UNEP.  While shallow sea mining for sand and gravel is vital for various construction projects, they pose a major threat to coastal communities facing rising sea levels and storms.

Sand extraction also endangers coastal and seabed ecosystems, impacting marine biodiversity, nutrients from the sea and noise pollution, as well as impacting aquifer salinization and future tourism development, UNEP added.

The new data coincides with the launch of a new analysis tool called  Marine Sand Watch that monitors dredging activities using marine tracking and artificial intelligence. The platform has been developed by UN Environment Programme (UNEP)’s analytical centre, GRID-Geneva. It uses artificial intelligence and automatic signals from ships to track and monitor sand, clay, silt, gravel, and rock extraction in the world’s marine environments.

International practices and regulations vary widely, UNEP noted, with countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia having banned marine sand exports in the last two decades, while others lack any legislation or effective monitoring programs.

The UN agency’s 2022 Sand and Sustainability report also called for enhanced monitoring of sand extraction and use, and recommended ending sand extraction from beaches and active beach-nearshore sand systems for mining purposes.

To read the UN article click here.

The Marine Sand Watch platform is available click here.