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Groups seek EU support for coral protection

September 25, 2009
Environmental groups are calling for protection of red coral, which is used in fine jewelry.

Naples, Italy--SeaWeb's Too Precious to Wear campaign and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are using the opportunity of a meeting on coral taking place in Italy this week to ask European Union (EU) officials to support a U.S. request to begin regulating the trade in red and pink coral, saying it would be "a major step forward in protecting some of the most sought-after species in the ocean."

The groups would like to see pink and red coral, both of which are used in creating fine jewelry as well as decorative objects, listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) at the next Conference of Parties, scheduled to take place in March 2010 in Qatar. Such a listing would provide a moderate level of protection for this type of coral, which currently has no protection under international trade agreements.

"During the past 30 years, overfishing of red coral has put these animals-- precious jewels of the sea--at great risk," SeaWeb President Dawn Martin said in a press release issued on Thursday. "A CITES Appendix II listing can help safeguard red and pink coral as well as the future of the industries that depend on them. It is essential that the EU and the United States, as the world's largest consumers of corallium, work together to ensure these species receive the trade protection they need."

The United States alone has imported more than 26 million pieces of red and pink coral, also known by the scientific name corallium, between 2001 and 2006.

The request for EU support coincides with a meeting this week in Naples, Italy, where scientists, conservationists, industry representatives and policymakers are meeting to discuss red coral science, management and trade. The workshop, co-hosted by the Italian and U.S. governments, will address any implementation issues surrounding a potential CITES listing for red and pink coral, according to a press release from SeaWeb.

Already, the EU's Mediterranean member states, led by Italy, objected to co-sponsorship of the proposal earlier this week, with other EU member states indicating they will further consider the U.S. request once the Naples workshop concludes.

Italy is known as the world capital of the red coral trade, with the Italian town of Torre del Greco reporting $174 million in red coral revenues in 1999 alone.

The species were considered for Appendix II protection in 2007 at the last Conference of Parties, but the proposal was narrowly defeated.

More than 2,000 other coral species are currently afforded CITES protection, including black coral, which has been listed since 1981, according to WWF International. The global black-coral trade is estimated at five metric tonnes, compared with 30 to 50 metrics tons for red and pink coral.

An Appendix II listing for red and pink coral would ensure that international trade in corallium, which grows slowly, is carefully monitored to ensure the populations remain healthy for future generations. The listing would also require countries wishing to export red and pink coral to issue a scientific finding that proves trade is not detrimental to the survival of these species.
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