UN Warns Sand Dredging Outpaces Replenishment
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- Sand is being extracted globally at 50bn tonnes per year, a rate faster than natural replenishment, according to a UN report, threatening ecosystems and natural coastal defences.
- UNEP found that about half of dredging companies operate in marine protected areas, accounting for 15% of dredged sand volume, leading to irreversible habitat destruction.
- Maldives government commissioned a Dutch company to dredge 24.5m cubic metres of sand from northern Malé atoll for land reclamation, destroying 200 hectares of coral reef and lagoon habitat.
- Philippines dredged 155m cubic metres of sand for an airport project in Manila Bay, resulting in the collapse of local fisheries and devastating fishing communities.
- Pascal Peduzzi stated that sand is a critical but overlooked natural protector against sea level rise, storm surges, and salination, emphasizing its role beyond construction.
- South Sulawesi, Indonesia saw fishing incomes drop by 80% after 22m cubic metres of sand were dredged from prime fishing grounds for urban development.
Why it matters: Coastal communities and biodiversity lose as sand extraction prioritizes short-term development over long-term ecological stability, with dredging in marine protected areas directly undermining climate resilience and livelihoods dependent on healthy marine ecosystems.
