Entre la conservación y la producción: polinizadores silvestres y sus servicios en agroecosistemas de Chile

Resumen

Biotic pollination is a key ecosystem service that supports both biodiversity conservation and agricultural production. However, its provision is increasingly threatened by agricultural intensification, and other environmental pressures. In Chile, this issue is particularly relevant because most agricultural activity occurs within a global biodiversity hotspot characterized by exceptionally high levels of endemism, including one of the world’s major hotspots for bee diversity. This article reviews current knowledge on wild pollinators and the pollination services they provide in Chilean agroecosystems, highlighting both the threats they face and the opportunities they offer for sustainable agriculture. Major challenges include landscape transformation, climate change, the spread of invasive species, and limited knowledge of the biology and conservation status of many native pollinator species. The review also synthesizes recent evidence on the contribution of wild pollinators to fruit crops, where they have been shown to play an important role and, in some cases, outperform managed pollinators in terms of pollination efficiency. Despite these advances, studies consistently report a low abundance and diversity of native bees in intensive orchards, a pattern probably likely linked to landscape simplification, the absence of agri-environmental schemes, and frequent pesticide use. The article concludes that conserving and promoting wild pollinators is both an ecological and agronomic necessity. Advancing toward agroecological systems that reduce chemical inputs, enhance floral diversity, and increase the availability of suitable habitats would help sustain Chile’s unique pollinator fauna and the valuable pollination services it provides.