Launch of the Marine Sand Watch: Monitoring Marine Sand Extraction

When: 6 September 2023 | 1400-1530 hrs CEST

Where: Online, and at the International Conference Center Geneva, Switzerland

Register for in-person or online participation.

UNEP/GRID-Geneva will be launching the Marine Sand Watch, a global platform designed to monitor large vessels engaged in dredging activities in the marine environment. Marine Sand Watch receives support from the University of Geneva and funding from the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment. The platform builds on research that UNEP/GRID-Geneva has been conducting with its research partners, Global Fishing Watch, the University of California Santa Barbara, and Google.

By making estimates of extractions and locations available for all, the goal of the platform is to increase transparency, push for better management of sand resources, and engage with the dredging sector to reduce environmental impact through higher standards. The event, organized by UNEP/GRID-Geneva and the Geneva Environment Network will showcase the platform, discuss the need for better monitoring, and steps to identify good practices and implement higher standards.

Currently, sand resources are not monitored globally. Marine sand – sand and gravel in the ocean and coastal environment – is an important environmental asset. It links and protects marine and terrestrial ecosystems, enhances coastal resilience against storms, protects coastal aquifers from salination and supports biodiversity, fisheries, and other blue economy activities. Most of the dredging activities include excavating, transporting and disposing of sand via large vessels, in order to dredge for construction materials, reclaim land, deepen waterways and build harbours, remove polluted sediments, replenish beaches, build coastal defenses, and support offshore energy infrastructure.

The UN Environment Programme has been calling for better monitoring of sand extraction and use, the ban of sand extraction for the purpose of mining sand as a resource in the active beach-nearshore sand system and to establish an international standard on sand extraction in the marine environment.

More information.