For years, Thailand has focused on curbing the illegal trade in terrestrial wildlife. Recently, the country has begun to try the same for marine coral species, especially those involved in the ornamental aquarium trade.
New laws, increased penalties for violations, increased enforcement and a national mandate to curb illegal coral trade are part of Thailand’s efforts to end the coral trade. Although authorities have made several arrests, they have not yet taken down any major coral traffickers.
BANGKOK – Several dawns in 2022, authorities raided a store in the heart of Thailand’s capital. Officers from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crimes Division of the Royal Thai Police and the Ministry of Marine and Coastal Resources discovered that the business was breeding corals and selling them on Facebook for as little as $4 to $20 each, and selling giant clams for just over $10.
A few months later, the police raided another coral store that bred and sold more than 300 species of coral and other marine species.
In both cases, they seized all the coral. The shop owners were sent to court to await a verdict that could land them each up to 10 years in prison plus a hefty fine of up to $30,500.
For years, Thailand has focused on curbing the illegal trade in terrestrial wildlife. Recently, the country has begun to try the same for marine coral species, especially those involved in the ornamental aquarium trade.
Farming and selling live coral has long been illegal in Thailand. The country added corals to its list of protected animals in 1992. The list currently includes all coral species in the orders Gorgonacea, Antipatharia, Stylasterina, Scleractinia, Milleporina, Helioporacea and Alcyonacea, specimens of which were collected by police in raids last year.
New laws, increased penalties for violations, increased enforcement and a national mandate to curb illegal coral trade are part of Thailand’s efforts to end the coral trade.
National Project
No research has been done on how the coral trade affects the 239 square kilometers (92 sq mi) of wild coral that live in Thai waters.
In September 2022, the Ministry of Fisheries issued a public notice warning that any trade in corals, sea anemones and giant clams could lead to imprisonment or fines, and expressed concern about the effects of the trade: “Thailand’s marine ecosystems have deteriorated, resulting in the loss nutrient cycling systems and the ripple effect on the ocean environment, particularly on coral reefs, spawning grounds and nurseries and shelters for marine animals that are often harvested and sold in ornamental fish markets.
Athapol Charoenshunsa, who was the head of the Ministry of Marine and Coastal Resources until January 25, told Mongabay that Thailand’s live coral trade is probably worth less than 500 million baht ($15.2 million) a year.
“But it can increase at any time… because there is a demand for beautiful things all over the world, especially after three quiet years of COVID. The business could expand if we don’t block it in time.”
Thailand’s 5-year coral reef management action plan, covering 2022 to 2026 and released in October 2021, showed that 37% of the country’s coral reefs have been damaged by nature and humans.
Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine scientist at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, told Mongabay that the damage is more significant than the report suggests. “There are 936 islands where it’s hard to do a thorough coral survey and [damage] could go unnoticed,” he said.
No research has been done on how the coral trade affects the 239 square kilometers (92 sq mi) of wild coral that live in Thai waters.
In September 2022, the Ministry of Fisheries issued a public notice warning that any trade in corals, sea anemones and giant clams could lead to imprisonment or fines, and expressed concern about the effects of the trade: “Thailand’s marine ecosystems have deteriorated, resulting in the loss nutrient cycling systems and the ripple effect on the ocean environment, particularly on coral reefs, spawning grounds and nurseries and shelters for marine animals that are often harvested and sold in ornamental fish markets.
Athapol Charoenshunsa, who was the head of the Ministry of Marine and Coastal Resources until January 25, told Mongabay that Thailand’s live coral trade is probably worth less than 500 million baht ($15.2 million) a year.
“But it can increase at any time… because there is a demand for beautiful things all over the world, especially after three quiet years of COVID. The business could expand if we don’t block it in time.”
Thailand’s 5-year coral reef management action plan, covering 2022 to 2026 and released in October 2021, showed that 37% of the country’s coral reefs have been damaged by nature and humans.
Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine scientist at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, told Mongabay that the damage is more significant than the report suggests. “There are 936 islands where it’s hard to do a thorough coral survey and [damage] could go unnoticed,” he said.
Unwavering Threats
“Thailand has continuously contributed to coral degradation over the past 30 years, whether through sedimentation in the sea, chemical contamination, overfishing or unsustainable tourism, such as the cruel waste on the beaches that are our tourist paradise,” Petch Manopawitr, consultant. on the marine programs of the NGO Wildlife Conservation Society Thailand, Mongabay said. “Many places do not have proper waste management and sewage treatment, and some have none at all. And I’m not talking about the huge amount of plastic waste.”
Manopawitr said people don’t realize how closely their lives are tied to coral, or the true cost of damaging it.
“We make $2 billion a year in coral-related tourism – that’s not a small amount. And while we’re busy trying to cope with soil erosion and deteriorating coastlines, studies show that coral reefs can reduce the intensity of waves hitting the coast by 97%. They are great natural obstacles.’
Like most conservation scientists, Thamrongnawasawat and Manopawitr said climate change, which is warming the ocean and causing corals to bleach and die in many places, is the most serious threat to corals and their ecosystems.
“Whitewashing is a ticking time bomb and a category five hurricane. It can come anytime and the damage will be unpredictable,” Manopawitr said.
Even so, it would be wrong to trivialize the coral trade, both said. “Maybe it’s not as scary as climate change, but that doesn’t mean we should pretend we can’t see,” Thamrongnawasawat said of the coral trade. “The more we ignore it, the worse it will get.”
No to Homegrown corals
More research is needed to stop the coral trade in Thailand. But in other markets such as Indonesia, Australia and the US, a study by marine scientists suggested that replacing wild-harvested coral with cultured coral could help preserve natural reefs.
In Thailand, only government entities can legally farm corals. For more than three decades, scientists at more than a dozen public facilities have been working to breed corals to improve reproduction, produce stronger coral strains and stave off extinction. Coral collectors and dealers have called on the government to allow private individuals and businesses to farm coral at home.
But Manopawitr said allowing private entities to farm coral could lead to widespread laundering of illegally harvested wild coral as legally farmed coral.
“We risk intensifying trade,” he said. “I think the corals could be more endangered. How will we manage or prove which corals are captive bred and which are natural? It’s very risky.”
Thamrongnawasawat, who has worked on several government coral farming initiatives, said verification is a serious matter.
“Until we are able to implant microchips in corals [to prove their origin and authenticity], as we do with other wild animals, we cannot afford to take the risk,” he said.
Beefing up enforcement
Thailand’s newly amended Wildlife Protection and Conservation Act of 2019 introduced harsh maximum penalties for possessing or selling protected animals: a fine of 1 million Thai baht ($30,500) and 10 years in prison. This is 25 times the fine and 2.5 times the prison sentence under the previous law.
According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the law gave Thailand “some of the harshest penalties for illegal wildlife trafficking in the region”.
In addition, two other laws, the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 1999 and the Combating Participation in Transnational Organized Crime Act of 2013, bring additional legal penalties, including forfeiture of assets. In 2021, Thailand’s anti-money laundering authorities seized or froze $11 million worth of assets from the alleged leader of a notorious wildlife trafficking group, Boonchai Bach.
Charoenshunsa, head of the Ministry of Marine and Coastal Resources, said it was time to consider treating corals in the same way.
“If the sanctions under the existing [wildlife] regulations cannot stop them, then we should consider including money laundering and asset forfeiture charges,” he said.
But breaking the fish bowl by going after home aquarists isn’t the plan, he said: “We’ll find the big dealers. Perpetrators. Those who are left behind and benefit from this lucrative but destructive business.”
However, the country has not yet found one of them.
Thailand has supported the global “30 by 30” initiative under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity to protect 30% of terrestrial and marine habitats by 2030.
So far, according to Charoenshunsa, the country has protected 25% of its land area but only 5% of its marine area, and the government is rushing to fill the gap. In July 2022, the entire coastal area of Trang Province was listed as a Marine Protected Area (MPA), covering 12,140 hectares (30,000 acres), including 485 hectares (1,200 acres) of coral reef. And there is a long line of proposed MPAs covering hundreds of coral reefs in more than 10 coastal provinces due to be listed in 2023 alone.
Charoenshunsa said wild coral traders who operate in the MPA will face further stiff charges under several laws, including the Marine and Coastal Resources Management Promotion Act, the Natural Park Act, the National Environmental Quality Protection Act and even the Community Forest . Act.
Hurdles and skepticism ahead
Thailand’s 5-year coral reef management action plan aims to reduce the proportion of damaged coral in the country from 37% to 30% by 2026. The country has designated a unit of seven government entities, including the Ministry of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants. Conservation, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Department of Fisheries, Division of Marine Police and Navy, to control threats to corals, including coral harvesting and trade.
“With this force we should do much better than we planned,” Charoenshunsa said. “I aim to reduce the damage down to 5%. To achieve this, we also need to reduce all possible threats, including the coral trade, to 5%.
Thamrongnawasawat expressed skepticism that the goal could be achieved.
“We have enough rules and regulations. The question is how much we can actually enforce them. Many government agencies have been brought in to deal with it, but each has different goals and resources are also limited. Having worked around the sea for more than four decades and witnessing its continuous decline, it is difficult for me to be sure [the plan will work].”
Thailand’s five-year coral reef management action plan aims to destroy some of the damaged coral in country. from 37% to 30% by 2026. The country has assigned a division of seven government entities, including the Department of National Parks, Nature and Plant Conservation, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, the Department of Fisheries, the Marine Police Division and the Department of the Navy, to control threats to corals, including harvesting and trading corals.
Contributed by Ankit Raj Shar ma
Edited by Imtiaz Ullah