Southeast Asia is renowned for birds' nests and the bird's nest trade. A bird's nest is often referred to as "White Gold" or "the Caviar of the East". In Birds' Nests – Business and Ethnicity in Southeast Asia, Kasem Jandam explores the history of using birds' nests and outlines key aspects of the business: consumption and its impact on ecology and the environment, market innovations, and the legal system related to public, private, community, and nonexclusive economic nesting resources. This book also discusses the trade and relationships among ethnic groups and the influence of Hong Kong's bird's nest market on the bird's nest business in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
Kasem Jandam is a researcher for Thailand Research Fund.