Sand, the main ingredient of cement, glass, and asphalt, is being mined for urban development and global production at a pace that exceeds natural renewal. Yet research on the sustainability of sand mining has concentrated on extraction rates and socioecological impacts in rivers and coastlines. The potential of active volcanoes to generate a renewable supply of sand through cyclical or intermittent eruptions has been understudied, as have the asymmetrical power relations that animate around this dangerous but financially lucrative industry. This article uses a transboundary political ecology framework to examine the geographically dispersed development interests that drive volcanic sand mining on Mount Merapi, Indonesia’s most active stratovolcano. I argue that to make Mount Merapi’s volcanic sand trade more sustainable, collaborative forms of environmental governance are needed to bridge critical gaps in knowledge about industry practices that create environmental impacts extending well beyond the volcano’s slopes. I develop this argument through three sets of transboundary political ecology themes centered on (1) knowledge boundaries that inform differentiated place-based practices; (2) the transboundary governance dilemma posed by disconnects between upstream mining practices and downstream environmental impacts; and (3) the potential of cross-border governance networks to collaboratively address these policy deficits.

沙子是水泥、玻璃和沥青的主要成分，正在以超过自然更新的速度开采用于城市发展和全球生产。然而，关于采砂可持续性的研究集中在河流和海岸线的开采率和社会生态影响上。活火山通过周期性或间歇性喷发产生可再生沙子供应的潜力尚​​未得到充分研究，围绕这个危险但利润丰厚的行业的不对称权力关系也是如此。本文使用跨界政治生态学框架来研究推动在印度尼西亚最活跃的层状火山默拉皮火山上开采火山砂的地理上分散的开发利益。我认为要使默拉皮火山的火山沙贸易更具可持续性，需要采取协作形式的环境治理来弥合有关行业实践知识的重大差距，这些实践会造成远远超出火山斜坡的环境影响。我通过三组跨界政治生态学主题来发展这个论点，这些主题集中在 (1) 为不同的地方实践提供信息的知识边界；(2) 上游采矿实践与下游环境影响脱节造成的跨界治理困境；(3) 跨境治理网络协作解决这些政策缺陷的潜力。我通过三组跨界政治生态学主题来发展这个论点，这些主题集中在 (1) 为不同的地方实践提供信息的知识边界；(2) 上游采矿实践与下游环境影响脱节造成的跨界治理困境；(3) 跨境治理网络协作解决这些政策缺陷的潜力。我通过三组跨界政治生态学主题来发展这个论点，这些主题集中在 (1) 为不同的地方实践提供信息的知识边界；(2) 上游采矿实践与下游环境影响脱节造成的跨界治理困境；(3) 跨境治理网络协作解决这些政策缺陷的潜力。