Does mining coral damage coral reefs?
According to Dr. Yasushi Omori, Professor of Marine Science at the University of Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, collection of marine coral does not damage coral reefs. He states, its collection can not be compared to deforestation of trees, or to collection of living leaves, but is identical to collecting dead leaves that have fallen. Collection of marine coral sands is done under the supervision of the Japanese government. It is against the law in Japan to damage live coral reef and the penalties for doing so are significant jail time. An international organization focused on preservation of endangered species (CITES), originally banned collection of all coral, but made an exception for trade in coral sands and fragments less than 30mm in size at their April 2000 meeting because it was shown that collection of this material does not harm endangered reefs.
