Sand Looting in North Africa

LARACHE, MOROCCO -SEPTEMBER, 2013: Larache's beach is mined days and night. Trucks are only allowed from sunday to tuesday. But, on the other days, villagers from Ouled Shkair are extracting the sand with shovels and donkeys. Beach sand is a valuable construction material, and in a country with limited economic opportunities, a thriving industry has developed around illegal harvesting of sand. The practice is not without its consequences: depleted sands make the beaches less attractive to tourists; deprive fish of a suitable environment to lay their eggs; and permit more seawater to seep inland, spoiling soil used for agriculture. (Photo by Veronique de Viguerie/Getty Images Reportage)