00:00Red Coral is a marine organism that grows extremely slowly and can take decades to form a large colony.
00:06Since ancient times, it has been used in jewelry because of its striking color and glossy hard texture.
00:11According to UN estimates, its value can exceed 5000 dollars per kilogram.
00:16Maria Salomidhi explained to Urinius why the illegal trade in this precious marine organism can be so lucrative.
00:21This is what is very important about the cotton coral.
00:27It is the synthetic skeleton.
00:29The synthetic skeleton is the one that allows the quality of the material.
00:34But the same thing, it can be used to make it hard.
00:40It is a material that can be used in the cosmopolitan world.
00:43There is a paradox in which the coral is a
00:54where it is something that protects many patients.
00:57In recent years, the demand has increased as Red Coral has made a comeback
01:00in the collection of major international fashion houses.
01:03At the same time, Red Coral populations in the Mediterranean are declining.
01:06This high value has fueled the parallel legal market center in Italy,
01:10which for centuries has been at the heart of Europe's coral processing and trading industry.
01:14A really big coral, which can be a 100-year-old animal,
01:21a big coral that can be a very hairy lion and lion,
01:25which can become a giant lion.
01:29So, the price of its price can really reach huge prices.
01:35In Greece, the Italian nationals were caught harvesting red coral
01:38from the sea bed of Scopelos with the shipment destined for Italy.
01:42I don't know if I am a Italian.
01:44There are also many of the Greek people who are coming from the island.
01:51Now, how systematic can it be?
01:53I don't know if I can answer that.
01:56Also, the Italians who come,
01:59if they come alone,
02:01or if they all do it in some sense,
02:05they can't know them.
02:05We can't know them.
02:07But the only way we can do it is,
02:11that if one had been in an instant,
02:13it would have been more than ever.
02:16and soon.
02:17Maria Salomidhi,
02:18that without a comprehensive mapping of the Greek sea bed,
02:21it will be impossible to establish an effective mechanism
02:23to protect these valuable coral populations.
02:26And we'll see you in the next few seconds.
02:28See you next time.
Comments