There is something about the color black. Black dresses,black and white balls, Johnny Cash, black pearl necklace and a black pearl jewelry. Black is debonair. Black is cool. Except if it is black coral. Black coral has been harvested to decimating levels. It can be found in the Caribbean waters off of Mexico and Belize. Mexico and Belize are starting to protect the coral, but it is still being poached and decimated.

Ambergris Caye is is part of a string of barrier islands off the coast of main land Belize. It is filled with Mango groves and beaches protected by a reef. Flying into the little airport in San Pedro, crossing the tarmac and walking into town with the smell of salt air and the warm humid breeze, it is easy to relax and feel like a piece of paradise has been found. But out in the waters, by the reef, a battle is raging. The barrier reef is a delicate environment. Belize has the second largest barrier reef in the world second only to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Thisattracts visitors, especially divers. Many people snorkel and dive to see the reef. Not all the tourists appreciate the delicate world they are entering. Even cautious divers can leave behind damage. Moving beneath a ledge can leave air bubbles that are abrasive to the habitat. Clueless or thoughtless visitors can easily bump up against the reef causing damage.

More threatening to reefs and black coral in particular, is commerce. Black coral makes stunning jewelry. It is elegant and beautiful. It is also endangered. In Belize there are government overseers that allow coral to be harvested by some commercial merchants. These merchants are supposed to only pick up the dead coral that has fallen and lying on the bottom. While many of the merchants are vigilante and protective of the coral, there are still abuses occurring. Most traders concur that protecting the coral is in their best interest. A rare commodity is worth more and claims a better price.

In Mexico, a lot of coral traders justify their harvest by saying that there are vast beds deeper down. The current research doesn’t support this. It has found few beds withmarginal health. In addition, different depths provide different habitats. Harvesting shallow coral overwhelminglyaffects a specific habitat. While black coral tends to be a deeper living coral, it is still an important part of the reef eco-system.

A great method to preserve black coral is to decrease the demand for it. Buying black coral is similar to purchasing poached ivory- it comes at a devastating price to the environment. Being aware of the origins of any thing may take some effort, but the effort could be saving a valuable natural wonder. Jewelry is a meaningful gift, a lovely thing to wear, but it can come from resources that are less threatened then black coral.

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