IndexIntroductionImpact of sand miningNational perspectiveProblemSolutionIntroductionThe topic chosen for this individual report is the topic of biodiversity and ecosystem loss. More specifically about sand loss. To investigate more about this topic it was necessary to ask a question. The question for the topic is “How can sand mining affect areas and communities near coastal areas and rivers?” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay When asked “What are the 3 most used natural resources?” most likely people would answer air, water and oil. But most people would be wrong since the first two answers are correct but the second is not. Most people don't realize it, but sand is the third most used natural resource in the world. They don't realize that sand is the third most used natural resource because they don't know what it could be used for. People may not realize it, but sand is limited, which means there is a limited supply of it in the world. Sand is used in food, wine, toothpaste, glass, computer chips, paper, paint and concrete. Among all these things, sand is the most used when it comes to concrete. Concrete is made up of 10% cement, 15% water and 75% sand. Concrete is being used more and more every year as countries now plan to build more buildings to house their overpopulated citizens. China is the main player in concrete production, having to produce 2,500 tons each year. But China is not only using its sand to make cement, it is also using tons of sand to build islands in the South China Sea to further expand its territory. Most people who work in the sand industry get their sand from large boats that sit near the shore which sucks up the sand using a large suction pump. The main problem is that the ocean floor is not made up of miles of deep sand. Sand is just a thin layer covering a huge layer of rocks. So if at some point we finish mining this thin layer of sand, the only thing we will be left with are huge chunks of rock. This layer of sand is also home to numerous microorganisms that form the basis of the food chain. This means that the more sand we mine close to shore, the more likely fish are to move away from the area as they no longer have anything to feed on. As many of you know, the desert is full of sand, but this type of sand cannot be used as the grains of sand can be described as round due to wind erosion. The type of sand used in concrete and all other things are the ones you get from beaches, river bottoms and oceans. The grains of these sands have sharp edges, which means they can easily get stuck together. Other sands could be used to make cement, but two things will happen. Or the concrete will become weaker as it will not be as durable or strong as it could be. This is why most of the cement we use is made from sea sand. Due to the importance of sand in the world, there has been an increase in the black market for it. This illegal sand business generates $2.3 billion per year. The people who get sand are usually people struggling to survive. These people risk their lives just to barely earn money. In one day, they can diveup to 200 times a day just to earn $15 for a boat load of sand. Many suffer from bleeding ears and headaches due to decompression. Sand is a fairly common product for people to mine due to two factors. The first factor is that sand is really cheap to mine as no expensive equipment is needed to get it, someone can mine it just by using their hands. The second factor is that the demand for sand is increasing by the minute. The more sand used, the less there is in the world. The less sand there is in the world, the higher the price of sand. As time passes, the sand will become more valuable and the price will increase. The cause of this is due to the fact that sand is used faster than the earth can produce it naturally. The time it takes for sand to form varies. It can form over thousands of years through wind, rain, river currents, etc. or it can take up to 15 seconds in a crushing mill, but this way the sand will not be as fine as that which formed naturally. These crushing mills can also be expensive to make, this is the main reason why we do not get most of our sand from crushing mills as this can reduce the profit made in the end. Impact of Sand Mining Sand mining usually takes place in riverbeds or beaches because that is where the best quality sand comes from. To extract these sands people would bring in large digging machines to extract the sand faster with little effort, then they would use large trucks to transport the sand. Water quality around this area may change due to dumping of excess mining material and oil spills from vehicles. This can cause the water to have a cloudy color and even have precipitates. This quality change can affect the underwater ecosystem, the polluted water can kill several organisms directly forcing their species to migrate out of the area. Animals and people who get their water source from the area would also be affected as the water will no longer be pure and will contain many bacteria and germs that can make these animals and people sick. The change in water quality can also affect plant growth as plants need an optimal pH level of water to grow. The change in water quality can also change the pH level of the water making it more difficult for plants to photosynthesize. Sand mining can also alter river beds and banks. When mining, the easiest way to get sand is from river banks, as they are not covered by much water compared to river beds. The riverbanks could lose their sustainability if enough sand was extracted. This loss of riverbank sustainability can mean two things. One is that the flow would widen, reducing the surrounding area. And the second thing is that the species that live in that area would migrate. These species have lived in that area for thousands of years, adapting to it. But after humans started making large-scale changes, these fish couldn't adapt to the change humans made over the course of a couple of days. These large-scale alterations also destroy habitats, making the river no longer habitable for many organisms. Fish are more likely to live in a river that has a more stable channel than in an unstable one. National Perspective Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world, which means it also has the most accessible area to source sand. Indonesia is no stranger to mining.