International Conventions
No international conventions regulate the extraction, use and trade of land-based sand (sand quarry, riverine and lake aggregate). There are no global standards and no coherent governance system that harmonizes regulations between national and international conventions.
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Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)Montego Bay, 1992
Connection to the sand crisis This convention regulates rights and obligations related to usage, development and preservation of maritime zones, including resource mining. |
Water ConventionProtection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention),
Helsinki 1992 Connection to the sand crisis Water and sand share many characteristics. 1. They are finite resources, 2. they are public goods 3. the consequences of flow downstream. Therefore the regulations which apply for water could be taken as example in order to regulate sand. |
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Biological Diversity (CBD)Rio de Janeiro, 1992
Connection to the sand crisis The sand crisis creates numerous effects on biodiversity and therefore affects the protected elements of this convention. |
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Combat Desertification (UNCCD)Paris, 1994
Connection to the sand crisis Unsustainable sand extraction and dredging can produce long-term changes on landscapes which can exacerbate the effects of desertification. |
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Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context |
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Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage |
Regional Conventions
Several regional conventions have been ratified to minimize the impact of human activities with some references to aggregate exploitation.
- Co-operation in the Protection and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the West and Central African Region, Abidjan, 1981
- Protection and Development of the Marine Environment and Coastal Region of the Mediterranean Sea Barcelona Convention, Barcelona, 1976
- Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region, Cartagena de Indias, 1983
- Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Eastern African Region, Nairobi, 1985
- Protection of the Marine Environment and Coastal Area of the South-east Pacific, Lima, 1981
- Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-east Atlantic OSPAR Convention, Paris, 1992
- Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region, Nouméa, 1986
- Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, Helsinki, 1992
- Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea, Tehran, 2003
- Convention for Co-operation on the Protection of the Marine Environment from Pollution, Kuwait, 1978
- Conservation of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden Environment, Jeddah, 1982