
Seabird Poop Is Worth More Than $1B Annually - pseudolus
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/seabird-poop-worth-more-1-billion-annually-180975504/
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commonturtle
The guano (seabird poop) trade was a really big deal in the 19th century,
Spain even tried to steal some islands from Peru because they had significant
guano deposits ([http://www.environmentandsociety.org/tools/keywords/guano-
wa...](http://www.environmentandsociety.org/tools/keywords/guano-war-perus-
chincha-islands)).

Eventually guano became less valuable since artificial fertiliser was cheaper.
I don't think there's any significant guano trade now, and definitely not in
the range of $1B / year. The article seems to be suggesting that the indirect
benefits of guano (birds dropping it over fields) is worth $1B / year.
Somewhat misleading title IMO.

