Ban may harm bird nest business
Source: Agencies |
March 11, 2011, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
TENS of thousands of birds cultivated for their edible nests are being banned from the capital of a Malaysian tourist island after the UN cultural agency warned the business endangered efforts to preserve decades-old buildings prized for their historical value, officials said yesterday.
The bird breeders on Malaysia's northern Penang island voiced fears that the ban would disrupt their lucrative business, which existed for years before UNESCO placed Penang's capital of Georgetown on its list of World Heritage Sites in 2008.
A spot on the list helps attract tourists and UN grants, but authorities have to follow restrictions to limit changes to the landscape. The restrictions pose a problem for entrepreneurs in Georgetown who convert old buildings and houses into small farms where sparrow-like swiftlets live and breed.
Cup-shaped nests made from the swiftlets' glutinous saliva are sold across Asia as a delicacy and can fetch up to US$2,000 per kilogram. Many Chinese serve the nests in a soup, saying it has medicinal qualities.
The bird breeders on Malaysia's northern Penang island voiced fears that the ban would disrupt their lucrative business, which existed for years before UNESCO placed Penang's capital of Georgetown on its list of World Heritage Sites in 2008.
A spot on the list helps attract tourists and UN grants, but authorities have to follow restrictions to limit changes to the landscape. The restrictions pose a problem for entrepreneurs in Georgetown who convert old buildings and houses into small farms where sparrow-like swiftlets live and breed.
Cup-shaped nests made from the swiftlets' glutinous saliva are sold across Asia as a delicacy and can fetch up to US$2,000 per kilogram. Many Chinese serve the nests in a soup, saying it has medicinal qualities.
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