800,000m3 of Sand to be Removed Close to Some of Kenya’s Most Prized Beaches
Sand could soon be sucked out of the Indian Ocean, in a 0.4 –1km strip off the Kenyan coastline. The extraction will take place from Likoni through Waa to Tiwi Area in Mombasa county – close to some of Kenya’s most prized beaches and the Diani-Chale National Marine Reserve.
African Ports Scramble for Land to Expand as Demand Rises
With competition for space is intensifying around Africa’s coastal cities as urbanization gains momentum, ports are using dredged material and reclaiming land to expand container terminal capacity.
Such Quantities of Sand
Asia’s mania for reclaiming land from the sea spawns mounting problems.
In Miami, Worries About Cuba Include Grains of Sand (!)
For some, concerns over the tourism threat Cuba poses to Miami have reached the granular level.
The Demand for Sand is so High There are Illegal Sand Mining Operations
Sand isn’t just for beaches. The tiny grains show up in many products of the industrialized world: in the glass and concrete that build cities, in detergents and cosmetics that people use daily, and in the silicon chips and solar panels of advanced technology. But sand comes from rocks that take thousands of years to erode into fine particles, and humans are using it faster than they should.
Preventing Ecocide in South China Sea
Land reclamation in the South China Sea could be damaging irreplaceable reef ecosystems, threatening the food security of millions. It’s time for a treaty, says leading scientist.
Life is Not a Beach
Mining for beach sand minerals poses a threat to the economic and social fabric of fishing villages along Tamil Nadu’s coast.
What Happens to a Coral Reef When an Island is Built on Top?
Seven such coral reefs are being turned into islands, with harbors and landing strips by the Chinese military, and it is destroying a rich ecological network. “It’s the worst thing that has happened to coral reefs in our lifetime.”
Sand Being Hauled Aways from the Cagayan Beaches in the Philippines, Shipped off to China
At least 2.5 million metric tons of the country’s magnetite were shipped to China from almost five years of controversy-ridden blacksand mining operations in the province of Cagayan, government records showed.