Shapely Coral Sparks Summer Decor

collins design I love coral and ocean decor.... but PLEASE do not buy real coral! The vast majority is "harvested" alive by unscrupulous people from living reefs. Coral reefs are dying too fast as it is without people hacking off hunks as jewelry and home decor!
Faux coral, or coral you collected your self that was already dead, is so much better!

ckhristine I can't believe you're promoting the use of coral. if you meant to suggest manufactured / artificial coral, please make that explicit and DISSUADE people from promoting the use and destruction of real coral.

Griffin Interiors you got that right! Coral has gorgeous organic lines that are really intriguing sculptures. Please do not use REAL coral, unless - as collins design says - you collected it yourself and it was already dead.

amaebi519 What paint colour would you recommend to match red coral? Would love to do my front door this shade - thanks!

pamweston Wait! Do you know how coral is gathered for sale!? Real Coral is endangered and it should not be bought by anyone who wants to be responsible to environmental conserns. Buy fake or pictures of coral and keep the real stuff in the oceans for the fish and the health of the planet.

nodax This is practically akin to recommending using elephant ivory for chess pieces or gorilla hands for ashtrays. Exactly which reef do the authors suggest people should destroy in order to decorate with coral?

puncturedbicycle Do not buy real coral and if it is being stocked in a shop, tell the manager you refuse to shop there until they stop selling it. There is a serious problem already because of many environmental issues (pollution, disease, global warming, etc) which affect coral without it being further depleted because someone wants a lump of it on their coffee table.

lracrowder From an article in the New York Times in December 2012: "In the international trade in live coral, most of which ships to the United States for ornamental marine aquariums, the source is quickly shifting from wild harvesting to farming, researchers report in a new study.

This shift suggests that, contrary to the conventional view that the live coral trade is a threat to coral reef ecosystems, the buying and selling of corals could help create a powerful incentive for protecting reefs in many small island communities, these scientists say."

The issue is not so straightforward as "Don't buy any live coral from a shop." There can be benefits and detriments to buying live coral which are largely dependent upon where it was harvested and how it was grown (wild or farmed). The primary benefit of zoos, for example, to the species they imprison is not to the specific animals they capture, but to the preservation of the species in general. The more people learn about, and grow to appreciate, the animals, the more they care about their survival in the wild. The article suggests the potential for a similar effect in permitting the sale of ornamental coral - be it farmed or wild - assuming the species is not endangered.

Link to article: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/finding-a-place-for-coral-farms-in-a-changing-ocean/

Just a bit more information to consider before we morally equate buying a piece of coral at our local shop to buying a piece of ivory carved out of the tusk of a murdered elephant. Given that climate change and water pollution are the primary destroyers of coral reefs, we're all guilty by virtue of our collective contribution to water pollution and increased carbon dioxide emissions (eating beef and supporting the cattle industry, e.g.). Not picking a side here. It's great that we care about saving coral, but it's even better when we strive to continually inform ourselves about the true impact of our choices and lifestyles.