Saving coral reefs, the foundation of marine life

The global trade in corals and reef fish for ornamental uses is devastating many reefs worldwide.

The extent of damage is particularly alarming in the Coral Triangle, the biologically rich South Pacific region that supplies more than 70% of the market.

The U.S. is the world’s leading consumer of coral reef wildlife for use in home aquariums, coral jewelry and decor. By strengthening U.S. trade rules to require sustainable collection, handling, and transport of coral reef wildlife imported to and exported from this country, EDF hopes to transform the global supply chain to better safeguard these precious ecosystems.

Campaign for a sustainable model

Live coral imports to the U.S. alone increased by 600% between 1988 and 2007. Intensive harvesting harms reef ecosystems, reducing crucial habitat and removing algae-grazers who keep the reef healthy.

The international coral trade is poorly regulated and illegal practices—such as using cyanide to stun and capture reef fish—remain common.

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) launched the Coral Reef Wildlife Campaign in 2010 with Defenders of Wildlife, Humane Society International, and World Wildlife Fund to create workable, enforceable standards for the ornamental reef trade.

Our goal is to ensure that wild-caught corals, fish and other reef organisms imported to and exported from the U.S. are collected, handled and transported in ways that protect coral reef ecosystems and prevent injury and mortality of wildlife.

The path to success

We are on the verge of our most significant progress to date: A senior U.S. senator is developing coral trade legislation that embraces our sustainability principles and will exert a powerful force for reform. Under this legislation, importers and exporters who fail to meet conservation standards will risk having their permits revoked and could face civil fines.

The time is right to solve this problem. Governments in Coral Triangle nations, including Indonesia and the Philippines, are increasingly concerned about the future of their coral reefs, which provide food, revenue and recreation for millions of people. U.S. leaders are also interested in finding solutions.

Our three key strategy areas

U.S. policy has been successfully leveraged before to improve international wildlife trade, and can be again. Coral reef trade reform strategy EDF and our coalition partners are pursuing three main initiatives:

1. Advance legislation to reform the trade: Our paramount objective is to pass a federal law governing U.S. trade policy for coral reef wildlife that requires importers and exporters to certify that they meet conservation standards throughout the collection and transport process. EDF, our sister organization Environmental Defense Action Fund, and our partners are building a network of supporters in Congress, and engaging experts to review the bill and ensure it is ironclad.

2. Increase stakeholder support: We are working with pet supply retailers, importers and public aquariums to build support for improving the trade through the adoption of more sustainable practices. We are also reaching out to innovative industry leaders to explore ways to advance aquaculture research and develop incentives for captive breeding—a promising alternative to wild collection of coral reef wildlife.

3. Generate public attention: By cultivating media coverage and partnerships with public aquariums and industry, we will educate consumers about the importance of U.S. leadership in improving the sustainability of the ornamental reef trade. This will raise interest in, and passion for, legislative reform.

Our protection victories

EDF has played a pivotal role in establishing some of the largest marine protected areas on Earth. In 2009, after a decade of working with partners, we helped establish a 25,000-square-mile marine protected area for deepwater coral ecosystems in the South Atlantic waters of the U.S.

Half a world away, EDF worked with then-President George W. Bush to create three marine national monuments in the remote Central Pacific, protecting shallow-water reefs across an area larger than California.

And in 2006, EDF helped win permanent protection for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands across 84 million acres of marine wilderness, one of the world’s largest marine reserves.