Phi Phi Lee, Phuket, Thailand

The Phi Phi archipelago, 24.8 miles (40 km) off the coast of Thailand, consists of the islands of Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Le. The latter is the more unspoiled of the two and is uninhabited as a result of the Thai government’s efforts to combat the illegal traffic in swallows’ nests. Consisting of threads of hardened saliva, the nests are highly prized for their tonic properties. These birds—in fact a type of swift—nest in karstic caves in cliffs that rise to a height of 1,226 feet (374 m). Fishermen come to gather this rare foodstuff by erecting fragile bamboo scaffolding. This white gold» fetches up to $9,243 a pound (3,000 euros a kilogram); in the early 1990s, the trade was thought to have been worth $74.75 million (65 million euros). Between 1995 and 1999, some 1.5 million wild birds, 150,000 animal furs, and 1 million snakeskins were sold every year. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), which came into force in January 1975, has been ratified by 150 countries, which have committed themselves to controlling trade in the 30,000 species in danger of extinction.