Ecosystems

Corals and risky exotic souvenirs

In some countries, coral is taken from the cliffs to build houses, roads, or burnt into calcareous fertiliser; where this happens, the reefs have often been completely stripped off and are no longer protected from the heavy sea or potential hurricanes. All over the world, however, corals and shells are picked and sold as souvenirs or to make jewellery or other handicrafts. Because of this indiscriminate exploitation, many species of reef molluscs have now become rare. Local handicrafts can be bought in all tropical countries, including gold and silver jewels, coloured ornaments, decorated wood items, fabrics as well as reef animals or parts of reef animals. The collection of shells was already popular with the Assyrians, the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, the Greek and the Romans. In the past, the shells of some species of cowry were used as money in Africa and Asia. The giant clams, that can reach one and a half metre wide and up to 300 kilograms, were used until not long ago as ornamental tanks in gardens or as holy-water stoups in churches. A number of less valuable shells are reduced to powder and used as a calcareous material for the production of porcelain. In addition, many people do not know that taking home souvenirs made of dying species such as corals and turtles is an offence. The Washington agreement on the trade of animal and vegetal species actually lists over 30,000 bans. Buying items made of dying animals (tigers, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, rhinoceroses, whales, butterflies, corals, turtles, etc.) is forbidden. So, going shopping in exotic countries without due care may be very expensive. For trying to take back home, for instance, a little Maldivian turtle, one could be fined up to 1,000 dollars or in some cases even imprisoned. In many Tropical countries, it is forbidden even to pick dead corals and shells from the beach (for instance in Kenya or the Maldives).