Inside the Crime Rings Trafficking Sand – Scientific American
![Trucks looting sand from Bharathapuzha, Palakkad, India (by Arayilpdas, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia).](https://coastalcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Trucks-looting-sand-from-bhararthapuzha-798x496.jpeg)
Organized crime is mining sand from rivers and coasts to feed demand worldwide, ruining ecosystems and communities. Can it be stopped?…
The Unsustainable Harvest of Coastal Sands – Science
![Mining is removing sand from coastal sites, such as this one in Colombia, faster than natural processes can replenish it (photo © Nelson Rangel-Buitrago)](https://coastalcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/science.adj9593-f1-798x807.jpg)
Although coasts form a crucial part of the natural wealth of the planet, their conservation is increasingly jeopardized owing to the growing human footprint. With 50% of the world’s population living within 150 km of a coastline, increasing urbanization and population pressures are threatening these fragile ecosystems…