2: 6. The Cormorant and the Guano Trade: Wealth, Exploitation, and Intensive Farming AUTHOR: Stephen Moss BOOK TITLE: 10 Birds That Changed the World This section covers Cormorant guano, a highly priz

6. The Cormorant and the Guano Trade: Wealth, Exploitation, and Intensive Farming AUTHOR: Stephen Moss BOOK TITLE: 10 Birds That Changed the World This section covers Cormorant guano, a highly prized fertilizer known to the Incas. In the 19th century, shipping guano from arid Peruvian islands made British businessman William Gibbs the wealthiest commoner in England. Tragically, this wealth was built upon the exploitation and deaths of Chinese indentured laborers. The guano boom (1840-1870) ended, leading to the invention of synthetic fertilizers (Haber-Bosch process), which enabled intensive farming that caused wildlife decline in Britain and North America. 1838