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Coral poaching
Coral poaching is the harvesting of highly valued coral species from protected areas for sale as various types of jewellery that could be sold for up to $1,800 per gram. The illegal removal of coral is one of the largest environmental issues in many countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, destroying valuable ecosystems that harbor marine life. Harvesting coral colonies also causes significant financial loss to surrounding economies and destruction of environments.
Coral is one of the most highly valued material for jewelry in many parts of Asia. It has a wholesale market value between $50 million and $60 million per year, with the value of each piece of jewelry based on the color, size, and quality of the coral. The most common type that is sold is red coral, considered the most precious of all types and sometimes thought to be endowed with pseudoscientific properties. Due to this, coral has been harvested and traded for centuries throughout Asia.
Since the 8th century, people have poached coral from marine ecosystems. Coral poaching is a major environmental problem in Asia and continues to destroy valuable ecosystems and habitats. As of 2015[update], an estimated 18.7% of coral reefs are in marine protected areas and only 2% of these areas satisfactorily prevent further degradation. It is estimated that illegal coral extraction generates $230,000,000 annually. This causes a significant loss of value in the area being poached and harms the marine wildlife in the area. In 1997, it was reported that many exporters of precious coral come from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Indonesia.[citation needed]
The market for coral is mainly in Asia. Often, coral is poached by fishermen from China, India, or Japan claiming to be on fishing trips. Divers on these boats then harvest coral and take it to be cured and refined into jewelry for sale. Coral is also mined for limestone and other construction materials for bricks, road-fill, and cement. It is also harvested for the calcium in the coral, as well as for decoration in marine aquariums. Jewelry companies in China, Taiwan, and India are willing to pay high prices for coral. With one colony of coral fetching up to $65,0000 a piece, many fishermen are willing to risk penalties. Illegal confiscation of coral colonies occurs along the sea borders between China and Japan.
Coral reefs also shelter species that naturally produce vital antibacterial and other chemical defense compounds used in medicine, including for treatments for cancer, arthritis, heart disease, bacterial and viral infection, and asthma. The chemical compounds and the breeding grounds for fish that coral reefs provide provide commercial value estimated by the National Marine Fisheries Service to be over $100-million.
The most heavily extracted corals are boulder corals and branching corals, with the boulder corals from the genera Porites and Faria being the most carefully extracted from the Gulf of Mannar. Both types are primary contributors of sediment deposition and defense for the reef island and are primary reef builders.
Most coral colonies take a long time to recover from harvest, and the effect on the ecosystem can be tremendous. About one-third of coral reefs worldwide are damaged beyond repair and the rest is in critical condition and under threat. A coral site could take at least 10 years to fully recover and up to 50 years to reach its former function in the environment. Many marine wildlife populations use coral for food, habitat, and protection against predators. When a coral colony is destroyed, it removes wildlife in the area and makes preservation almost impossible in the future. Mining coral colonies also changes the composition of the sediment in the area, which has a detrimental effect on marine life.
Coral extraction can cause significant harm, as coastlines and fish are protected and preserved by the presence of coral reefs. Coastlines become vulnerable when the forces of the currents are no longer being dissipated by coral reef structures. Many towns and cities depend on the defense of coral reefs on their shores, such as the homes and businesses lining the shores of Florida Keys. Without coral reefs, buildings are at greater risk of water damage due to erosion of the shore line. Reefs are also critical to marine biodiversity. Up to 25% of marine life is found in coral reef ecosystems, and up to 7,000 species depend on reefs to survive. Scientists are working on growing coral in farms to later transplant into damaged areas.
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Coral poaching
Coral poaching is the harvesting of highly valued coral species from protected areas for sale as various types of jewellery that could be sold for up to $1,800 per gram. The illegal removal of coral is one of the largest environmental issues in many countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, destroying valuable ecosystems that harbor marine life. Harvesting coral colonies also causes significant financial loss to surrounding economies and destruction of environments.
Coral is one of the most highly valued material for jewelry in many parts of Asia. It has a wholesale market value between $50 million and $60 million per year, with the value of each piece of jewelry based on the color, size, and quality of the coral. The most common type that is sold is red coral, considered the most precious of all types and sometimes thought to be endowed with pseudoscientific properties. Due to this, coral has been harvested and traded for centuries throughout Asia.
Since the 8th century, people have poached coral from marine ecosystems. Coral poaching is a major environmental problem in Asia and continues to destroy valuable ecosystems and habitats. As of 2015[update], an estimated 18.7% of coral reefs are in marine protected areas and only 2% of these areas satisfactorily prevent further degradation. It is estimated that illegal coral extraction generates $230,000,000 annually. This causes a significant loss of value in the area being poached and harms the marine wildlife in the area. In 1997, it was reported that many exporters of precious coral come from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Indonesia.[citation needed]
The market for coral is mainly in Asia. Often, coral is poached by fishermen from China, India, or Japan claiming to be on fishing trips. Divers on these boats then harvest coral and take it to be cured and refined into jewelry for sale. Coral is also mined for limestone and other construction materials for bricks, road-fill, and cement. It is also harvested for the calcium in the coral, as well as for decoration in marine aquariums. Jewelry companies in China, Taiwan, and India are willing to pay high prices for coral. With one colony of coral fetching up to $65,0000 a piece, many fishermen are willing to risk penalties. Illegal confiscation of coral colonies occurs along the sea borders between China and Japan.
Coral reefs also shelter species that naturally produce vital antibacterial and other chemical defense compounds used in medicine, including for treatments for cancer, arthritis, heart disease, bacterial and viral infection, and asthma. The chemical compounds and the breeding grounds for fish that coral reefs provide provide commercial value estimated by the National Marine Fisheries Service to be over $100-million.
The most heavily extracted corals are boulder corals and branching corals, with the boulder corals from the genera Porites and Faria being the most carefully extracted from the Gulf of Mannar. Both types are primary contributors of sediment deposition and defense for the reef island and are primary reef builders.
Most coral colonies take a long time to recover from harvest, and the effect on the ecosystem can be tremendous. About one-third of coral reefs worldwide are damaged beyond repair and the rest is in critical condition and under threat. A coral site could take at least 10 years to fully recover and up to 50 years to reach its former function in the environment. Many marine wildlife populations use coral for food, habitat, and protection against predators. When a coral colony is destroyed, it removes wildlife in the area and makes preservation almost impossible in the future. Mining coral colonies also changes the composition of the sediment in the area, which has a detrimental effect on marine life.
Coral extraction can cause significant harm, as coastlines and fish are protected and preserved by the presence of coral reefs. Coastlines become vulnerable when the forces of the currents are no longer being dissipated by coral reef structures. Many towns and cities depend on the defense of coral reefs on their shores, such as the homes and businesses lining the shores of Florida Keys. Without coral reefs, buildings are at greater risk of water damage due to erosion of the shore line. Reefs are also critical to marine biodiversity. Up to 25% of marine life is found in coral reef ecosystems, and up to 7,000 species depend on reefs to survive. Scientists are working on growing coral in farms to later transplant into damaged areas.