Use sand wisely, warns UN in new report

Nature took hundreds of thousands of years to generate sand through slow geological erosion processes. Now, we are using sand at a staggering rate of 50 billion tonnes per year, faster than it replenishes.

“Governments must recognise sand as a strategic asset, not simply a ubiquitous construction material, but a resource fundamental to ecosystems and human well-being,” explains Centre researcher Jean-Baptiste Jouffray, one of the co-authors of a new UNEP report on the topic.

Sand is being extracted for various infrastructure needs, which underpin modern society and development.

But sand also provides critical habitats for fish, turtles, birds, crabs, and countless other species, supporting biodiversity and maintaining ecological balance that are also key to tourism and fisheries. Therefore, it is essential for nature, food and water security.

A new UNEP report on sand and sustainability, co-written by 27 international experts, including Centre researcher Jean-Baptiste Jouffray, calls for the recognition of sand’s essential values to development and nature.

“Sand is sometimes referred as the unrecognized hero of development, but its essential role in sustaining the natural services on which we depend is even more overlooked,” said Pascal Peduzzi, Director of the UNEP Global Resource Information Database Geneva (GRID-Geneva) “Sand is our first line of defense against sea level rise, storm surges and salination of coastal aquifers, all hazards exacerbated by climate change.”

Dead or alive

The report highlights a fundamental tension: once extracted and transformed into concrete, asphalt, glass, etc., sand is effectively lost from natural systems (“dead” sand). In contrast, sand in rivers, deltas, and coastal zones (“alive” sand) continues to sustain the stability of our landscape and essential ecosystem functions: filtering water, regulating river flows, protecting shorelines from erosion and storm surges, preventing salinization of coastal aquifers, and sustaining biodiversity. In nature, sand lasts.

Demand therefore exists for sand in both its dead and alive forms, but these uses are in direct competition.

Early and coordinated intervention on sand sustainability remains possible and cost-effective, according to the report. As a globally used resource, addressing sand sustainability would require enhanced regional coordination and, possibly, global governance mechanisms.

Sand and finance

The report also puts a focus on financial institutions.

“Across public and private finance, institutions continue to underestimate the material risks associated with unsustainable sand extraction,” says Jean-Baptiste Jouffray, co-lead author of the chapter on sand and finance.

According to the report, financial institutions play a decisive but often overlooked role in shaping how and where sand is extracted. Development banks, export credit agencies, insurers, and lenders collectively channel vast amounts of capital into infrastructure and dredging projects, yet environmental and social risks linked to sand extraction remain consistently underpriced.

The authors warn that impacts such as coastal erosion, habitat destruction, and threats to local livelihoods can ultimately translate into legal, regulatory, reputational, and financial risks for investors and governments alike. Treating sand-related ecological and social impacts as financially material risks could help to better anticipate long-term risks and align capital allocation with sustainable sand governance objectives, the report argues.

The report concludes with actionable policy measures and an assessment tool to support more sustainable sand management at local, national, and regional levels.