Challenges to sustainable development of marine sand in Korea

Marine sand is not only essential to the construction industry, but also functions as a habitat, nursery, and buffer for shorelines. As resources of sand on land are depleted the demand for marine sand has increased rapidly and is expected to continue. However, marine sand is limited in quantity and sand mining brings environmental externalities such as environmental degradation, habitat destruction and coastal erosion. Recently, the public and government agencies have recognized the value of marine sand. Although, sand mining is already well established and implemented, both the public and government in Korea are pushing for the sustainable development of marine sand.