Marine sand and gravel extraction

Marine sand and gravel extraction has been carried out for decades. In 2007, annual production reached 1,897,000 m³.

This sand and gravel is used in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France and Belgium for various applications, particularly in the construction sector and for beaches.

Strict sustainable management of sand and gravel stocks is essential for reconciling economic interests with the environmental impact of mining.

Permit

A permit is required for marine sand or gravel extraction.

To obtain a permit, the applicant must:

• submit an application to the Director General of the Directorate-General Quality and Safety of the FPS Economy (chapter III of the Royal Decree of 1 September 2004 – procedural order ).
• submit an environmental impact report to the Management Unit of the North Sea and Schelde estuary Mathematical Models , a department of the Belgian Royal Institute of Natural Sciences (chapter II of the Royal Decree of 1 September 2004 – EEA order).

The application will be processed according to whether the applicant:

• is a private business (Chapter IV of the Royal Decree of 1 September 2004 – procedural order);
• is part of the Flemish authorities (Article 24 of the Royal Decree of 1 September 2004 - procedural order ).

Sustainable management

Ongoing scientific monitoring is needed to enable the sustainable management of marine sand and gravel stocks.

This monitoring is done in two ways:

• by monitoring exploration and extraction activities;
• by studying the impact of these activities on the marine environment.

Monitoring exploration and extraction activities

Every development vessel active in Belgium is obliged to keep an on-board register (Article 43 of the Royal Decree of 1 September 2004 – procedural order). The relevant information on each extraction should be noted in this register.

An automatic positioning logger is installed on board of each boat to automatically continuously record extraction activities (Article 34 of the Royal Decree of 1 September 2004 – procedural order ).

The FPS Economy regularly gathers and analyses the data recorded.

Studying the impact of these activities on the marine environment

The ongoing study of the consequences of sand and gravel extraction on the marine environment is carried out by three bodies:

• the continental shelf department of the FPS Economy ;
• the Management Unit of the North Sea and Schelde estuary Mathematical Models;
• the Institute of Agricultural Research and Fisheries - Fishery.

Various techniques and technologies are used to determine the consequences of the extractions as accurately and completely as possible.

Research on exploration and technology

The FPS Economy also conducts research into exploration and participates in projects to develop measuring techniques and the technologies used.

Advisory Commission on North Sea Extraction

The Advisory Commission on North Sea Extraction coordinates the departments involved in the management of exploration and extraction from the continental shelf and from territorial waters.

This commission:

• coordinates assessment of permit applications;
• issues an opinion on these applications;
• follows the various studies carried out on the influence of sand extraction on the continental shelf;
• evaluates the triennial report on the monitoring results;
• recommends corrective measures if a negative influence is found;
• advises on policy regarding all aspects of sand extraction.