It still happens to see tourists caught at the airport trying to take away sandbags, then forced to pay fines. Unfortunately, many are still unaware that stealing sand from nature is nothing more than a whim that impoverishes the environment. Let’s see why.
We have said it and repeated it many times: the responsible tourist or traveler collects memories, steps, emotions, photos and leaves behind only footsteps without damaging what he saw. Taking the sand from your beach looks like an innocuous gesture, yet it puts at risk a long and delicate natural process, which actually creates the beaches.
The process of forming a beach is very fascinating, but also very complex. The formation is due to the combination of erosion and sedimentation phenomena, determined by waves, tides and marine currents. However, the two phenomena must remain steady in balance. Subtracting sand means contributing to natural erosion. And the handfuls of all the tourists add up, the years add up and thus beaches disappear.
It has already happened, but it does not have to happen again. Some beaches in the world are gone, especially those of pink sand or other special colors, just because they are the most prone to depletion. For their peculiarity and beauty, some beaches need protection and in some cases there is an absolute ban on visiting them. And so the stupidity and unconsciousness of some people deprives us all of the spectacle of nature.
I understand, some sandy beaches are spectacular and it is not always easy to withstand temptation. But the beauty of nature is also this: it’s for everyone and it belongs to all of us. Everyone can admire it, everyone can remain breathless under the starry sky, in front of the top of a mountain, in the middle of the sea, everyone can walk on the sand.