Denmark’s seabed extraction has more than doubled in 15 years, as seven municipalities in eastern Jutland warn that marine habitats are being lost much faster than they can be restored.
In 2025, an average of around 35,000 cubic metres of sand, gravel and small stones were extracted from Danish waters every day, according to figures reported by TV 2. That is roughly enough material to fill 14 Olympic swimming pools each day.
A separate analysis by marine think tank Tænketanken Hav found that annual extraction of sand, gravel and small stones from the seabed increased by around 80% between 1990 and the 2020-2024 average.
The materials are used in construction and coastal protection. But removing them also physically alters the seabed and can destroy habitats for marine plants and animals, with effects that may persist for a long time.
Seven municipalities want seabed extraction pushed offshore
The East Jutland Marine Cooperation (Havsamarbejdet i Østjylland), bringing together Norddjurs, Syddjurs, Aarhus, Odder, Samsø, Horsens and Hedensted municipalities, is now calling for stronger restrictions as Denmark prepares a new national raw materials strategy.
Among its proposals is a requirement that extraction should generally take place at least three nautical miles from the coast and at depths of more than eight metres.
The cooperation estimates that in eastern Jutland alone, at least five times more seabed is currently being lost to raw-material extraction than is restored every year through projects such as stone reefs, eelgrass beds and mussel restoration.
Nicolaj Bang, Aarhus councillor for technical services and the environment and the municipality’s representative in the cooperation, said extraction should be moved farther from sensitive coastal waters.
“At the very least, we need to move it farther out. Perhaps even onto land. The sea can better withstand the pressure farther offshore.”
The municipalities have drawn up 12 recommendations together with the Blue Council (Blåt Råd). They also want extraction excluded from Natura 2000 areas, more recycling of construction materials, greater protection for marine vegetation and revenue from the state extraction levy to be used for research and marine restoration.
Some seabed habitats may not recover
The concern is particularly acute around banks of gravel and small stones. These areas can provide relatively rare habitats for fish and other marine species.
Peter Grønkjær, professor of marine biology at Aarhus University, told TV 2 that raw-material extraction is among the most destructive activities that can be carried out directly on the seabed and that affected areas do not necessarily return to their previous condition.
Tænketanken Hav similarly says extraction causes both the physical loss and disturbance of seabed habitats. Its 2026 analysis of seabed extraction argues that reducing demand for newly extracted marine materials will require more recycling, alternative materials and more resource-efficient construction.
One current dispute concerns waters south of Samsø, where gravel and stones could be extracted for a coastal protection project in North Zealand. According to the East Jutland Marine Cooperation, the project could remove around 2.4 times as much gravel habitat as can be restored with roughly DKK 100 million (€13.4 million) currently allocated to marine restoration in the area.
The case has intensified a broader debate over whether Denmark is simultaneously spending public money rebuilding marine habitats while allowing similar habitats to be removed elsewhere.
Denmark still needs sand and gravel
The issue is complicated by Denmark’s continuing demand for raw materials for housing, infrastructure and coastal protection.
Environment Minister Maria Reumert Gjerding has said that Denmark cannot entirely avoid extracting new materials, particularly when they are needed for coastal protection.
“We cannot get around the need for raw materials, including for coastal protection. But we must use fewer new raw materials in the future.”
The government is working on a national strategy for raw materials and the circular economy aimed at reducing consumption, increasing recycling and giving greater weight to nature and biodiversity. Parliamentary documents from August and September confirm that the strategy remains part of the government’s current agenda.
The seven municipalities are seeking to influence that strategy before the future rules are settled. Their argument is not that Denmark can immediately stop using sand and gravel, but that extraction should increasingly be directed away from the coastal habitats where environmental damage can be greatest.
