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Guano
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<p>Guano is the accumulated <a href="/facts/Excrement/r9HDKB8G">excrement</a> of <a href="/facts/Seabird/zmMQPeEU">seabirds</a> or <a href="/facts/Bat/CJudzNt1">bats</a>. Guano is a highly effective <a href="/facts/Fertiliser/ysh3r6NJ">fertiliser</a> due to the high content of <a href="/facts/Nitrogen/Nf1QpGDz">nitrogen</a>, <a href="/facts/Phosphate/FDGVCxUG">phosphate</a>, and <a href="/facts/Potassium/FWPwS7Rj">potassium</a>, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a lesser extent, sought for the production of <a href="/facts/Gunpowder/AEcB6HCR">gunpowder</a> and other explosive materials. </p><p>The 19th-century seabird guano trade played a pivotal role in the development of modern <a href="/facts/Intensive_farming/dHGtp0Im">input-intensive farming</a>. The demand for guano spurred the human <a href="/facts/Colonisation/mp9GRL94">colonisation</a> of remote bird islands in many parts of the world. </p><p>Unsustainable seabird guano mining processes can result in permanent <a href="/facts/Habitat_destruction/pyPMkBCY">habitat destruction</a> and the loss of millions of seabirds. </p><p>Bat guano is found in caves throughout the world. Many cave ecosystems are wholly dependent on bats to provide nutrients via their guano which supports <a href="/facts/Bacteria/wC8xSCsU">bacteria</a>, <a href="/facts/Fungus/BHo5DP59">fungi</a>, <a href="/facts/Invertebrate/3CyqCVnN">invertebrates</a>, and <a href="/facts/Vertebrate/tT54FSTT">vertebrates</a>. The loss of bats from a cave can result in the <a href="/facts/Extinction/24p5NP2q">extinction</a> of species that rely on their guano. <a href="/facts/Sustainability/9oYH9mAs">Unsustainable</a> harvesting of bat guano may cause bats to abandon their roost. </p><p>Demand for guano rapidly declined after 1910 with the development of the <a href="/facts/Haber%25E2%2580%2593Bosch_process/DMlVT2WP">Haber–Bosch process</a> for extracting nitrogen from the atmosphere. </p><p>Guano mining continues in Chile with the annual guano production in Chile ranging from 2,091 to 4,601 metric tons per year in the 2014–2023 period. </p>