Tourism revival threatened by massive sand-mining (c) Tommy Trenchard/IRIN It’s easy to take sand for granted – until it’s gone, that is. It is the second most important natural resource in the world after water, yet beaches are disappearing right from underneath our feet… When most people think of sand, they think cheap, common and abundant. Sandy sediment doesn’t exactly fit the profile of a hot commodity. And yet, sand sustains livelihoods.