The eastern African coastal strip contains a tiny chain of patches of lowland tropical dry forest. They were previously considered to be of low conservation priority in terms of endemism and species diverstiy, but research since the mid-1980s has shown that their biological richness is comparable to other important tropical forest types in Africa.
The sustainable exploitation of edible nest swiftlets (Collocalia fuciphaga germani) has been achived without external aid or expertise and is an important source of revenue for Vietnam. This book retraces the history of edible swiftlet nest production and trade (including the latest trade figures), examines the biological research conducted, and details the working practices used to enhance the conservation of swiftlets in Vietnam.
