Sand trafficking: Morocco’s silent menace
The high demand for sand is fueling trafficking and organised crime that threaten the country’s coastal ecosystems.
Rapid and extensive sand extraction is devastating the environment, and yet the problem is largely ignored by most of Morocco’s population. The industry has attracted the attention of organised crime syndicates whose involvement is facilitated by state corruption.
This seminar will examine the problem, highlighting the links between the destruction of beaches and the high demand for Morocco’s sand. It will cover the environmental damage to fragile coastal ecosystems and how traffickers’ role in the illegal extraction makes dealing with the crime a complex task.
Chairperson: Mohamed Daghar, ENACT Regional Coordinator – Eastern Africa, ISS Nairobi
Opening remarks: European Union Commission, TBC
Speakers:
Abdelkader Abderrahmane, ENACT Senior Researcher, ISS
Prof Aicha Benmohammedi, Director, Environmental Geo-sciences, University of Ibn Tofail, Morocco and President of the Moroccan Association for the Protection and Durable Development of the Littoral
Dr Kate Dawson, Postdoctoral Fellow, Economic and Social Research Council, London School of Economics
Kiran Pereira, author of ‘Sand Stories’ and founder of sandstories.org
