Social-ecological resilience and environmental justice in Bangladesh: A multi-site analysis of sand mining governance

As global demand for sand reaches an estimated 50 billion tonnes annually, the pressure on fluvial and coastal ecosystems has created a significant sustainability crisis. This study examines the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of sand mining in Bangladesh, a deltaic country where rapid urbanization has transformed sand into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Combining Social-Ecological Systems (SES) and Environmental Justice (EJ) frameworks, the research uses a qualitative case study approach across three ecologically distinct sites: Chandpur (river confluence), Sandwip (estuarine island), and Cox's Bazar (mainland coast). Data from 39 semi-structured interviews and field observations show that unregulated extraction is reported and observed as coinciding with a self-reinforcing (positive) feedback loop of increased riverbank erosion and habitat loss that respondents associate with harm to the livelihoods of marginalized fishers and farmers. The results reveal a triple failure of justice: distributive (unequal erosion burdens), procedural (exclusion from leasing decisions), and recognitional (marginalization of local ecological knowledge). Additionally, an analysis of the Balumohal and Soil Management Act (2010) uncovers critical institutional issues, including political patronage and poor coordination between the Department of Environment and local authorities. By highlighting community stories of adaptation and displacement, this study contends that sustainable resource management must shift from top-down, revenue-focused models to participatory, justice-driven frameworks that safeguard the resilience of rural social-ecological systems.