Sand: Wanted dead AND alive
The report explores humanity’s dual dependency on sand: we rely on sand for buildings, roads, and the energy transition, while also depending on sand in rivers, coasts, deltas, and oceans to maintain the integrity of landscapes, sustain biodiversity, protect shorelines, regulate water systems, and support livelihoods. This is the central sand dilemma. Once transformed into concrete and infrastructure, sand is removed from natural systems (“dead” sand). Left within functioning ecosystems (“alive” sand), it continues to provide essential ecological and social benefits. While both provide value to society, yet they involve trade-offs. We need to choose wisely.
Co-written by 27 experts from around the world, the report highlights sand’s multiple values to society and the economy, as well as its often overlooked non-use values when left within functioning ecosystems, where it underpins livelihoods, water security, food systems, territorial integrity, and shelter. The report examines the growing environmental, social, and economic pressures linked to rising global sand demand and identifies key gaps in governance, biodiversity integration, monitoring, and long-term planning. It presents 24 strategic actions for governments, industry, financial institutions, and civil society to better govern sand resources and their multiple values, prioritise long-term planning, transform financial systems, reduce unnecessary demand, strengthen circularity, improve transparency and monitoring, and fully integrate biodiversity considerations into decision-making.