THE Union environment ministry has
adopted an unusual conservation strategy
to save the dwindling population of
edible-nest swiftlets (Aerodramus fuciphagus)
in the Andamans. It has taken
them off the Schedule-I list of the
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which
accords the highest protection to
a species.
The nests of these swiftlets
are made of hardened saliva
and are taken away by
poachers to be sold in the
market. In Singapore
and Hong Kong, a kilogramme
of nests fetch
US $3,000 to
US $4,000. They are
used in fine dining
restaurants to make
birds' nest soup. The de-listing would
allow local people to breed the birds,
prized for their edible nests, at home.
People would then leave alone the birds
living in the wild; this would preserve
the species, officials reasoned. The plan
was the brainchild of Ravi Sankaran, an
ornithologist, who was inspired by a
similar experiment in Indonesia (see
'Feather touch conservationist', Down
To Earth February 16-28, 2009).
The plan is simple. Transfer the
swiftlet eggs to the nests of another
species--the glossy swiftlet that is comfortable
in human homes. The newborn
edible-nest swiftlets will learn from their
adoptive parents to live in human habitations.
Edible-nest swiftlets always
return to their birthplace to nest and so
will provide ready-to-harvest nests to
the breeders. Till eight years ago, poaching
of swiftlet nests was rampant in the
Andamans and reduced the bird's population
considerably. Poachers used to
take away the nests every time they
made new ones. This prevented the
birds from breeding, said Shirish
Manchi of Salim Ali Centre for
Ornithology and Natural History
(SACON), who worked with Sankaran on
conserving edible-nest swiftlets.
Poaching reduced considerably when 14
of the poachers were hired as daily wage
labourers by the forest department in
2001. Once the communities start
breeding swiftlets they can harvest the
nests at home, he said.
The de-listing is for three years.
SACON, on whose demand the birds have
been de-listed, will have to prove during
this period the method is successful.
"We are working out the details of the
programme," said Manchi. The ministry's
decision is restricted to the
Andamans alone where the
birds use their saliva to
make nests. The nests of
edible-nest swiftlets in
Western Ghats are
not so edible as
they have both
feathers and
saliva.
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