[1] Off the southern coast of Peru, lie the Chincha, the Ballesta, the Lobos, the Asia, and the Guañape islands.

Due to relative isolation from natural predators, guano-producing birds such as the white-breast cormorant and gray pelican have increased in number.

it was so important to their culture that the Incan government divided the guano-bearing islands between the various provinces and dictated harvesting practices and schedules.

Incan law provided that killing or disrupting the nesting birds that produced guano was punishable by death.

It has reduced the number of fish, affecting the bird population, and causing a reduction in guano accumulation, and the economy of Peru.

To maintain supplies, the government of Peru ensures that the islands and the birds, such as pelicans and cormorants, and the gannets are well fed and cared for.