Solutions to protect swiftlet flocks

On November 7, Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee coordinated with Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest State-owned One Member Limited Company (Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company) to organize a scientific workshop on the protection and sustainable development of the swiftlet population. Comrade Trinh Minh Hoang - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and representatives of a number of relevant agencies and Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company co-chaired the workshop.

Facing many challenges

According to data from the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, by October 2025, the country will have 29,266 birdhouses, with an average growth rate of 6% per year in the period 2021 - 2025; birdhouse populations have appeared in 23/34 provinces and cities, with an estimated birdhouse nest output of 234.6 tons of raw birdhouses. Khanh Hoa alone has 1,425 birdhouses, with an output of 14.1 tons, accounting for 6.02% of the country.

Comrade Trinh Minh Hoang chaired the workshop.

In particular, Khanh Hoa is the locality with the highest concentration of swiftlets (Aerodramus fuciphagus germani). This is a rare bird species, closely associated with the sea and islands of Vietnam, producing the world's highest quality natural island swiftlet nests and often nesting in caves and crevices of cliffs on islands. Swiftlet nests are not only a precious gift from nature but also the crystallization of the intelligence, dedication and tradition of persistent labor of many generations of Khanh Hoa people. Currently, Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company is managing 33 islands, with 173 swiftlet caves.

Delegates speaking at the conference.

Dr. Nguyen Van Long - Director of the Department of Science and Technology ( Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ) affirmed: "The bird's nest industry not only brings economic value and livelihood to people, but also has great significance in terms of ecology, culture and national sovereignty over seas and islands. Swiftlets contribute to balancing the natural ecosystem, destroying harmful insects and protecting crops".

Baby swiftlets are rescued and cared for at Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company.

However, in addition to the great economic values ​​that bird's nest brings, the bird's nest industry is also facing many challenges. The natural island bird's nest population has declined sharply due to the impact of climate change, environmental pollution and illegal hunting. Along with that, the bird's nest farming industry has developed spontaneously, lacking overall planning and value chain linkage; deep processing technology, traceability and product quality management are still limited; public awareness of the protection and sustainable development of bird's nests is uneven; mechanisms, policies and state management of bird's nest farming and exploitation are still lacking in synchronization, not keeping up with development practices...

Speaking at the workshop, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Trinh Minh Hoang said that, fully aware of the importance of preserving rare genetic resources and developing the national bird's nest industry in a sustainable manner, Khanh Hoa province organized the workshop with the desire to create a scientific forum for scientists, managers, businesses and related localities to exchange and share research and practical experiences. Thereby, the delegates discussed scientific, technological and management solutions to preserve and sustainably develop the bird's nest population. The results of the workshop are an important scientific basis for the central ministries, branches, Khanh Hoa province and related localities to perfect the mechanisms, policies, planning and the National Action Program on the conservation and development of the bird's nest population until 2035, with a vision to 2050.

Need for synchronous and effective solutions

At the workshop, scientists, managers, businesses and localities discussed, exchanged, evaluated, analyzed, shared experiences and proposed scientific, technological, policy and international cooperation solutions to protect and sustainably develop the swiftlet population through topics with contents such as: Development situation, management of swiftlet farming and export of bird's nests; scientific basis and practice for sustainable development of Vietnam's swiftlet farming industry...

Swiftlets breed on the islands.

To protect and sustainably develop the swiftlet population, delegates proposed to synchronously deploy groups of solutions, including perfecting institutions and planning for the development of the swiftlet farming industry based on the natural advantages of each region, ensuring harmonious socio-economic development and ecological environment protection; promptly promulgating the National Strategy on the conservation and development of swiftlets until 2035, with a vision to 2050.

Along with that, strengthen state management of the bird's nest farming industry, specifically: Issue bird's nest house codes, statistics, declare output; build a national database on bird's nest flocks, distribution areas, traceability system and issue certificates of origin; strictly control the construction of bird's nest houses, especially in residential areas, ensure biosafety and urban order.

At the same time, strengthen coordination between state management, enterprises and the community in conservation, prevention and control of illegal exploitation and biological protection of swiftlets; prevent and control illegal hunting of swiftlets and wild birds; organize local rapid response forces to inspect and handle violations; promote legal propaganda and educate the community about the value of swiftlets. In addition, integrate the content of swiftlet protection into school education programs, mobilize people to not hunt, not trade, not transport, not consume illegal swiftlets...

Dr. Nguyen Lan Hung Son - Lecturer at Hanoi National University of Education said that to protect the swiftlet flock, the entire political system needs to be involved, especially, there needs to be strong enough sanctions to handle violations of hunting swiftlets, raising awareness and consciousness of the people. Besides, there needs to be more fundamental solutions to solve the problem of declining flocks due to climate change.

According to Mr. Le Huu Hoang - former Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, it is necessary to urgently establish a Rapid Response Team for the protection of swiftlets and develop operating regulations, assign specific tasks to each member, ensuring effective, flexible and mobile operations. The Rapid Response Team proactively conducts periodic and surprise inspections at restaurants, eateries, wholesale markets, locations with signs of illegal trading of wild birds, and areas where swiftlet trapping and catching often occur, to promptly prevent and strictly handle violations according to the law.

The bird's nest island is managed by Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company.

In her concluding remarks at the workshop, Ms. Trinh Thi Hong Van - Chairwoman of the Board of Members of Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company assessed that, through the thematic reports and comments with profound scientific and practical values, the enthusiasm and intelligence of the attending delegates analyzed and clarified the role, potential value and development orientation of the Vietnamese salangane farming industry, especially the population of natural salanganes on Khanh Hoa islands - a rare biological resource, a symbol of Khanh Hoa. At the same time, she pointed out new challenges in management, conservation, as well as sustainable development orientation in the current period. The results of the workshop are an important basis for Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company to research, recommend and propose to the Provincial Party Committee, Provincial People's Committee and central ministries and branches on synchronous policies and solutions in protecting and developing the Vietnamese salangane population in general and Khanh Hoa province in particular; is an important scientific basis to help the company continue to build a strategy to protect and develop the natural island bird's nest population in a new phase and develop the value chain of Vietnamese bird's nest products to reach the international level, in line with the socio-economic development orientation of Khanh Hoa province, contributing to the successful implementation of the Resolution of the 1st Khanh Hoa Provincial Party Congress.

Reflecting on the issue of the swiftlet population being threatened by illegal hunting, in the issues from September 9 to 11, Khanh Hoa Newspaper published a series of reports "Resolutely protecting the swiftlet population". Illegal hunting of swiftlets not only threatens the life of this precious bird species, seriously violating regulations on wildlife protection, but also causes great damage to the province's economy; because swiftlets create a source of "white gold" (swallow's nest) - a valuable product, with high nutritional value, bringing great benefits to public health, and having great economic value.

DINH LAM

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/kinh-te/202511/giai-phap-bao-ve-dan-chim-yen-42d1d12/