THE Union environment ministry hasadopted an unusual conservation strategyto save the dwindling population ofedible-nest swiftlets (Aerodramus fuciphagus)in the Andamans. It has takenthem off the Schedule-I list of theWildlife Protection Act, 1972, whichaccords the highest protection toa species.
The nests of these swiftletsare made of hardened salivaand are taken away bypoachers to be sold in themarket. In Singaporeand Hong Kong, a kilogrammeof nests fetchUS $3,000 toUS $4,000. They areused in fine diningrestaurants to makebirds' nest soup. The de-listing wouldallow local people to breed the birds,prized for their edible nests, at home.People would then leave alone the birdsliving in the wild; this would preservethe species, officials reasoned. The planwas the brainchild of Ravi Sankaran, anornithologist, who was inspired by asimilar experiment in Indonesia (see'Feather touch conservationist', DownTo Earth February 16-28, 2009).
The plan is simple. Transfer theswiftlet eggs to the nests of anotherspecies--the glossy swiftlet that is comfortablein human homes. The newbornedible-nest swiftlets will learn from theiradoptive parents to live in human habitations.Edible-nest swiftlets alwaysreturn to their birthplace to nest and sowill provide ready-to-harvest nests tothe breeders. Till eight years ago, poachingof swiftlet nests was rampant in theAndamans and reduced the bird's populationconsiderably. Poachers used totake away the nests every time theymade new ones. This prevented thebirds from breeding, said ShirishManchi of Salim Ali Centre forOrnithology and Natural History(SACON), who worked with Sankaran onconserving edible-nest swiftlets.Poaching reduced considerably when 14of the poachers were hired as daily wagelabourers by the forest department in2001. Once the communities startbreeding swiftlets they can harvest thenests at home, he said.
The de-listing is for three years.SACON, on whose demand the birds havebeen de-listed, will have to prove duringthis period the method is successful."We are working out the details of theprogramme," said Manchi. The ministry'sdecision is restricted to theAndamans alone where thebirds use their saliva tomake nests. The nests ofedible-nest swiftlets inWestern Ghats arenot so edible asthey have bothfeathers andsaliva.