IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/inecol/v27y2023i1p238-253.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Coastal sand mining of heavy mineral sands: Contestations, resistance, and ecological distribution conflicts at HMS extraction frontiers across the world

Author

Listed:
  • Arpita Bisht
  • Joan Martinez‐Alier

Abstract

Coastal sand mining for metals involves extraction of heavy mineral sands (HMS), which are sedimentary deposits of dense minerals that accumulate in coastal environments. HMS are localized concentrations of ores such as ilmenite, rutile, leucoxene, and iron, which are sources of metals such as titanium, zircon, iron, sillimanite/kyanite, staurolite, monazite, and garnet. The applications of these metals range from everyday products such as ceramics, paint, and pigments, as well as technologically advanced applications in the airline, shipbuilding, medicine, and defense industries. HMS extraction implies strip mining of coastal areas, which are often unique biodiversity ecosystems, or fragile ecosystems built up on sandy soils or dunes. The loss of such spaces has impacts such as loss of biodiversity and habitats, salt‐water intrusion into agricultural lands and increased exposure to sea level rise. As a result of the serious ecological and socioeconomic transformations at such extraction frontiers, these operations cause resistance movements across the world. This article identifies and documents 24 cases of resistance against such operations. It presents the first comprehensive database and analysis of HMS related ecological distribution conflicts.

Suggested Citation

  • Arpita Bisht & Joan Martinez‐Alier, 2023. "Coastal sand mining of heavy mineral sands: Contestations, resistance, and ecological distribution conflicts at HMS extraction frontiers across the world," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(1), pages 238-253, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:inecol:v:27:y:2023:i:1:p:238-253
    DOI: 10.1111/jiec.13358
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13358
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/jiec.13358?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bebbington, Anthony & Humphreys Bebbington, Denise & Bury, Jeffrey & Lingan, Jeannet & Muñoz, Juan Pablo & Scurrah, Martin, 2008. "Mining and Social Movements: Struggles Over Livelihood and Rural Territorial Development in the Andes," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 2888-2905, December.
    2. Arturo Escobar, 2006. "Difference and Conflict in the Struggle Over Natural Resources: A political ecology framework," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 49(3), pages 6-13, September.
    3. Bisht, Arpita, 2022. "Sand futures: Post-growth alternatives for mineral aggregate consumption and distribution in the global south," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    4. Mette Bendixen & Jim Best & Chris Hackney & Lars Lønsmann Iversen, 2019. "Time is running out for sand," Nature, Nature, vol. 571(7763), pages 29-31, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Murshed, Muntasir, 2024. "The role of Fintech financing in correcting ecological problems caused by mineral resources: Testing the novel ecological deficit hypothesis," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Marin-Burgos, Victoria & Clancy, Joy S. & Lovett, Jon C., 2015. "Contesting legitimacy of voluntary sustainability certification schemes: Valuation languages and power asymmetries in the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil in Colombia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 303-313.
    2. AvcI, Duygu & Adaman, Fikret & Özkaynak, Begüm, 2010. "Valuation languages in environmental conflicts: How stakeholders oppose or support gold mining at Mount Ida, Turkey," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(2), pages 228-238, December.
    3. Rajiv Maher, 2019. "Squeezing Psychological Freedom in Corporate–Community Engagement," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 160(4), pages 1047-1066, December.
    4. Spiegel, Samuel J., 2012. "Governance Institutions, Resource Rights Regimes, and the Informal Mining Sector: Regulatory Complexities in Indonesia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 189-205.
    5. Cem Iskender Aydin & Begum Ozkaynak & Beatriz Rodríguez-Labajos & Taylan Yenilmez, 2017. "Network effects in environmental justice struggles: An investigation of conflicts between mining companies and civil society organizations from a network perspective," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(7), pages 1-20, July.
    6. Aaron Yao Efui Ahali & Ishmael Ackah, 2015. "Are They Predisposed to the Resources Curse? Oil in Somalia," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 5(1), pages 231-245.
    7. Bin Lei & Linjie Yu & Zhiyu Chen & Wanying Yang & Cheng Deng & Zhuo Tang, 2022. "Carbon Emission Evaluation of Recycled Fine Aggregate Concrete Based on Life Cycle Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-17, November.
    8. Shirley, Rebekah G. & Word, Jettie, 2018. "Rights, rivers and renewables: Lessons from hydropower conflict in Borneo on the role of cultural politics in energy planning for Small Island Developing States," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 189-199.
    9. Kotsadam, Andreas & Tolonen, Anja, 2016. "African Mining, Gender, and Local Employment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 325-339.
    10. Md. Mahfuzul Islam & A. Aldrie Amir & Rawshan Ara Begum, 2021. "Community awareness towards coastal hazard and adaptation strategies in Pahang coast of Malaysia," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 107(2), pages 1593-1620, June.
    11. Matthew Himley, 2014. "Monitoring the Impacts of Extraction: Science and Participation in the Governance of Mining in Peru," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 46(5), pages 1069-1087, May.
    12. Anwar Mohammad Amir, 2014. "Indian foreign direct investments in Africa: a geographical perspective," Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, Sciendo, vol. 26(26), pages 1-15, December.
    13. Haslam, Paul Alexander, 2021. "The micro-politics of corporate responsibility: How companies shape protest in communities affected by mining," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    14. Moomen, Abdul–Wadood, 2017. "Strategies for managing large-scale mining sector land use conflicts in the global south," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 85-93.
    15. Paúl Cisneros, 2020. "A Comparative Study of the Introduction of Restrictions to Large‐Scale Mining in Four Latin American Countries," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 37(5), pages 687-712, September.
    16. Yunxin Peng & Adel A. Zadeh & Sheila M. Puffer, 2023. "Unearthing the Construction Industry’s Awareness of and Reactions to the Global Sand Crisis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-17, November.
    17. Ruppen, Désirée & Brugger, Fritz, 2022. "“I will sample until things get better – or until I die.” Potential and limits of citizen science to promote social accountability for environmental pollution," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    18. Roy Maconachie & Radhika Srinivasan & Nicholas Menzies, 2015. "Responding to the Challenge of Fragility and Security in West Africa," World Bank Publications - Reports 22511, The World Bank Group.
    19. Temper, Leah & Martinez-Alier, Joan, 2013. "The god of the mountain and Godavarman: Net Present Value, indigenous territorial rights and sacredness in a bauxite mining conflict in India," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 79-87.
    20. Moomen, Abdul–Wadood & Dewan, Ashraf, 2016. "Analysis of spatial interactions between the Shea industry and mining sector activities in the emerging north-west gold province of Ghana," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 104-111.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:inecol:v:27:y:2023:i:1:p:238-253. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1088-1980 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.