Sand mining vessel Credit: Jules Leyland
Southampton geographers, led by Associate Professor in Physical Geography Dr Julian Leyland, have received funding to address one of the ‘hidden impacts’ of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
The team from Geography and Environmental Science and GeoData have been awarded £166,000 from the Global Challenges Research Fund’s (GCRF) Newton Fund to investigate the impact of illegal sand mining in the Vietnamese Mekong delta.
The GCRF Newton Fund aims to promote the economic development and social welfare of partner countries to address the well-being of communities.
The team, which includes Professor Steve Darby and Professor Craig Hutton, will assess the impact of the surge in illegal sand mining activity during the COVID-19 lockdown on livelihoods and infrastructure from the induced bank erosion.