Sand ecologies, livelihoods and governance in Asia: A systematic scoping review

Melissa Marschke and Jean-François Rousseau

Resources Policy, 2022, vol. 77, issue C

Abstract: Sand, gravel, and crushed rock – known as construction aggregates – are in high demand in the Asian region. Such demand is driven by high rates of urbanization, infrastructure development, and dam building: an unprecedented amount of sand is being extracted from the region's river, delta and estuary areas, only to be transported for infill or construction purposes elsewhere. This systematic scoping review examines the state of knowledge in the peer review literature on sand ecologies, livelihoods, and governance in Asia. We find that the literature mainly focuses on the ecological implications of sand mining, namely biotic and abiotic components: sand mining is linked with many forms of ecological degradation, although partial ecosystemic recovery may be possible when sand mining stops. In contrast, the limited analysis on livelihoods suggests that violence, work-related injuries, and precarious jobs are common for those working in the sand industry, with sand mining producing different types of work depending on the level of mechanization. We conclude by noting several gaps in the literature, including the narrow geographical focus (mainly India and China), the lack of attention to the intersection between sand mining and other anthropogenic disturbances, and the need to establish transparent sand governance processes within this region.

Keywords: Ecology; Livelihoods; Illicit supply chains; Sand governance; Asia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301420722001192
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:77:y:2022:i:c:s0301420722001192

DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2022.102671

Access Statistics for this article

Resources Policy is currently edited by R. G. Eggert

More articles in Resources Policy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().