Capstones
Graduation Date
Fall 12-13-2025
Grading Professor
Andrew Lehren
Subject Concentration
Investigative
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Abstract
Wildlife trafficking is one of the most profitable natural resource and transnational crimes, with an estimated annual cost between $7 billion to $23 billion, according to Moody’s Analytics in 2023. The U.S., the economic research firm found, was the world’s leading destination for illegally trafficked animals.
This investigative report examines the largely overlooked trafficking of corals — often excluded from public and regulatory concerns because they do not conform to conventional perceptions of wildlife.
Within a global market that commodifies corals for aquariums, jewelry, and curio, fractured oversight leaves fatal blind spots that enable a supply chain quietly stripping oceans of life.
Recommended Citation
Salazar, Cherry Mae, "Losing Reefs" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gj_etds/856
