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Without surprise I followed the reports about the sand excavations in Grancreek in the Saramacca district in the area of the indigenous community established there. After all, it was only a matter of time before we reached this point. No surprise, because it is a phenomenon that we as scientists have been following for years, a trend of uncontrolled sand and shell excavations that appears to be getting out of hand.
Uncontrolled sand excavations have been taking place for decades in parts of the coastal plain in Coronie (shells) and Commewijne. However, it is now getting closer to the “civilized world” and we are ultimately also noticing its consequences. Sand excavations in themselves are not a “wrong” economic act nor unique to Suriname. After all, almost all of us are users of these products, just think of how many times you have bought a cube of sand (filling or whatever) or the shells that are so coveted to place on our yard. However, the problem starts with a lack of spatial planning, policy and legislation.
“Creating balance ensures that the ecosystem is not irreparably disrupted and that every user is given the space to meet their needs, without other users experiencing inconvenience or damage.”
The sand and shell ridges in the coastal plain have a particularly important function in nature, as they provide natural coastal protection, they are shallow water storage places in which local communities dig groundwater wells and they also provide enough groundwater for agriculture and other dependent ecosystems. Over the years, large parts of these sand and shell ridges have been mined out and left as unmanaged swamp areas. This causes considerable disruption to local ecosystems and in this case to an entire community that depends on these sand ridges to meet their livelihoods.
An important word in all this is balance. Creating balance ensures that the ecosystem is not irreparably disrupted and that every user is given the space to meet their needs, without other users experiencing inconvenience or damage. But achieving a balance between use and conservation requires legal frameworks, policy, enforcement and proper spatial planning.
That’s where science comes in, after all, policy that is made on the basis of scientific research and substantiated facts can rarely go wrong, only get better! Scientists and scientific information are also available and accessible to companies and individuals working in these sectors in the context of better environmentally harmonious business operations.
As a scientist, I am currently conducting intensive research into these sand and shell deposits in the coastal plain of Suriname, their potential as a groundwater reservoir and their place in the ecosystem. Since science is supposed to be neutral, I therefore call on policymakers and agencies responsible for maintaining and protecting Natural Resources, Ecosystems and the Environment to seek advice (from already available research data) and to work even more decisively on the creation of the legal frameworks that provide tools not to exhaust, but to protect these systems.
Hydrogeologist Oclaya Verwey, MSc. (PhD researcher)
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