23 Apr 2026

Photo by Iain on Unsplash   The UK and Ireland’s largest freshwater lake, Lough Neagh, is under threat from commercial sand dredging, according to new research published in the Journal of Environmental Management. The study, led by Queen’s University Belfast in collaboration with Newcastle University, is reportedly the first-of-its-kind and researchers found that disturbance created […]

12 Sep 2023

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 […]