Tiffany & Co. Foundation says coral is "Too Precious To Wear"
You don’t have to dive in an exotic location to see the very real impacts of reef destruction. Like glistening diamonds and gleaming pearls, the brilliant red and pink coral products in souvenir and jewelry stores can seem disconnected from their fragile, endangered sources.
Our Program Director, Rick MacPherson, recently found himself gazing incredulously at a window display of precious red and pink coral, some from obviously endangered reefs. The display was right in downtown San Francisco, and it was a startling reminder of the lobbying power of governments who engage in coral trade.
A new campaign to increase awareness in the fashion and design industry—aptly titled “Too Precious to Wear” —has been launched by SeaWeb, one of CORAL’s allies in the reef conservation movement. This high-profile campaign is all the more important in light of the recent failure to obtain a certification under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) for threatened and endangered corals.
Tiffany & Co. Foundation, who partially funded the campaign, also funded an information signage project currently being prepared by CORAL staff in Marine Life Conservation Districts in Hawaii.
CORAL's work helps people connect the dots. What we do in our own communities—and what products we buy—have a very real, tangible effect on places many of us enjoy and upon whose sustainability the world depends. Every purchase of coral contributes to the destruction of habitats and livelihoods.