TRAFFIC
The sale and collection of seashells have seen a boom in recent years. The seashell market in India is mainly driven by the demand for curious — used in making lampshades, buttons, combs, and other decorative items.
According to TRAFFIC, a sizeable about of this trade is happening on the black market. Between 2009 to 2019, over 97,000 kilos of seashells have been caught in seizures.
The issue isn’t that there is a demand for seashells, but that the demand is so high that people don’t care about destroying ocean floor beds in order to earn an extra buck.
“It leads to disruption of the oceanic ecosystem,” explained Badola. “The sheer demand for the shell is so high that in few areas it is leading to unsustainable extraction of these from the sea, resulting in permanent and irreversible damage to the local ecosystem.”