Drawing a line in the sand: Mapping sand mining in Africa for future sustainable usage

Sand and gravel make up the most extracted group of materials worldwide, even exceeding fossil fuels1 and are a key ingredient for modern civilization. But today, sand and gravel are being extracted faster than they can be replenished and we have no knowledge of how much sand there is and where it is being mined. Meanwhile, by 2050 the global population is expected to increase with the African continent rising from 1 billion to 2.4 billion. With more people on the planet, the need for sand and gravel will continue to add pressure on the known resources. The obvious and growing dependence on this material in constructing the world’s urban landscape and developing low-income countries, means that the demand for sand and gravel will outstrip the supply by mid-century. The complete lack of overview of sand mining exploration is highly understudied and has resulted in a complete gap in our knowledge of the environmental and human consequences of these activities. Therefore, the project will develop a data-driven method using machine learning and remote sensing imagery to provide a complete map of sand mining activities in Africa to pave the way for better management of this critical resource and new research on urban development, human health and environmental sustainability in Africa.