Durban , South Africa ( CNN ) -- For centuries , the massive sand dunes overlooking the warm waters off the South African east coast have created a majestic scenery , acting as a natural wall between the sea and the land environment . Lashed by strong winds , the imposing dunes tower above the acacia-dotted landscape , supporting a vibrant ecosystem that thrives along the scenic coastline near the city of Durban . In recent years , mining companies have been eager to dig inside these dunes to extract the valuable minerals they contain . At the same time , environmentalists have been campaigning against mining , fighting to keep the dunes pristine and preserve the region 's splendid natural habitat . Watch : Investing in Africa 's mining sector . One mining company operating in the area is Richards Bay Minerals ( RBM ) . The firm has been extracting minerals from the region 's coastal sand dunes for more than three decades , having set up a massive operation along the shore . `` These sands are mineralized , '' says Andrew Denton , general manager of mining at RBM . `` They 've got a total heavy mineral content in them , which is ilmenite , rutile , zircon , '' he explains . While carrying its mining operations , the company says it is committed to achieving a high standard of environmental care . It has put in place a rehabilitation program that aims to reshape the dunes and bring the forest to its pre-mining state by putting the indigenous plants back into the ground after the extraction process . `` Clearly , this [ mining ] is a large scale operation that 's got significant impact , '' says Denton . `` What 's important to us is that we can rehabilitate the ground , restore the indigenous forest after we mined it and that the communities around us and the society which we operate receive benefits from being in proximity to this mining area . That 's key to our operation . '' According to RBM , the minerals removed from the sand through mining comprise about 5 % of the dunes ' total volume . The company stockpiles the topsoil which contains the nutrients , organic debris and plant seeds that are stripped away during mining . After the dunes are reshaped , the topsoil is spread over the bare sand in a thin layer , triggering the natural processes that facilitate the recovery of the dunes . Windbreaks are erected to protect the emerging seedlings from damage and to help in the stabilization of the dune . Read more : Romancing the dune in Namibia . Michelle Boshoff , the company 's environmental manager , describes the procedure as a natural restoration process that takes decades to be finalized . She says the program is being followed by a number of stakeholders , including the University of Pretoria which conducts studies in the area . `` There 's a way to lessen the impact and do mining and development side by side , '' she says . `` We can prove it [ natural restoration ] is viable . It 's a good option . '' Yet , dune mining is being staunchly opposed by many environmentalists who say that the process is damaging the region 's ecosystem . Environmental lawyer Jeremy Ridl is part of a group of eco-activists who successfully blocked dune mining in the area of St. Lucia -- north of where RBM is currently working -- in the 1990s . That area is now a world heritage site . Ridl describes mining operations in the region as `` completely destructive . '' `` It 's a major change to the landscape , '' he says . `` The vegetation gets cleared . Then anything up to 80 meters of dune gets completely mangled up and rehashed . They put humpty dumpty back together again and you have this sort of consolation that the shape will be the same . '' Yet , even critics such as Ridl acknowledge that there are benefits stemming from the post-mining efforts to rehabilitate the ecosystem . Watch : Growing cost of mining gold in Africa . `` I 've got no complaints about that , '' he says . `` Not only are they trying very hard , they are producing excellent results , but in my mind it 's too early to proclaim this as a rehabilitation of the dunes back to its natural state . '' Some voices argue that eco-tourism could provide a small but possible alternative to mining , helping local communities generate income and also preserve the ecosystem . Ridl says that eco-tourism has the potential to benefit the area but warns that its development should take into consideration the sensitivity of the local environment . `` We need to think ahead -- if we 're promoting eco-tourism as an opportunity and form of development , then we 've got to apply all the same controls and look at it critically , like the mining operation , '' he says . `` Eco-tourism does have the advantage provided its beneficiaries are local . Now I 'm talking about everybody -- owners of resorts , people employed , skills development is very important because these tourism ventures are located in areas where people lack capacity and skills . `` So unless you link tourism in other community-based initiatives and end up having these ventures and all the benefits living in community , eco-tourism has potential to be just as bad as we perceive mining to be . ''
South Africa 's sand dunes have been supporting a thriving ecosystem for centuries . Mining companies are eager to dig inside them for the minerals they contain . Environmentalists are campaigning for the protection of the massive dunes . Score: 6