Seeing red: precious coral trade in East Asia
A new TRAFFIC study has shed light on the trade in precious corals in East Asia, revealing that inconsistent trade data and questionable harvesting practices could threaten vulnerable species. Precious corals have been harvested and traded internationally since as early as pre-dynastic Egypt, valued for their beauty by diverse cultures around the world. Seeing Red: Precious coral trade in East Asia focuses on the CITES-listed Corallidae family, which comprises over 40 species and three genera of precious deep-sea corals.