Description

This s"tudy addresses the coastal resource management problems associated with sand mining and coral harvesting in tropical areas. Customary sand and coral extraction techniques, large and small scale use practices, impacts on local environments, and alternative harvesting approaches to various marine minerals are reviewe~. Specific examples of adverse effects on the environment from excessive, badly sited, ill-planned or un-monitored coral harvesting and beach, dune, and marine sand mining activities are presented and analyzed. These examples are
·based on existing documentation and, in some instances, were corroborated by site visits to areas where large scale, hydraulic dredging strategies for marine sand had been employed or land-based beach or dune sand mining were common practice.