Fires in Chile can become a disaster of biodiversity
"There is a chain of life that is in danger and that shelters our planet, not only from the food we consume, but from mammals, birds, insects and all life on Earth"
The national tragedy caused by forest fires in Chile, compared only with the mega-earthquake of the sixties by the territorial extent of its impact, adds consequences that can be projected over time, causing greater damage to the country, its biodiversity and its economy.
Within these consequences in the medium term is the impact on the economy that can be caused by the tragedy of bees. They are approximately 4000 hives that have died burned by fires. If we add to this loss that for some time the survival of bees has been threatened by multiple factors, such as a prolonged drought, the indiscriminate use of pesticides and other impacts of modern life, we are facing a situation that may be high. impact on the Chilean economy in the short and medium term.
Yasmín Villagrán, director of the NGO Plan Bee, who at 2013 created the first bee reservation area in Chile and South America, said that the fire that affected the reserve area, located in Santa María de Los Molles, in the Region of Valparaíso has caused irreparable damage to the project.
The reserve area had very privileged conditions, because none of the threats that today affect the survival of bees, such as cellular antennas or the use of pesticides, existed. The area had natural and clean water, much flora and native vegetation, which today has been destroyed by fire.
This situation, added to the drought that has lasted for the past eight years has caused an unhealthy environment for bees and it is urgent to think of a new redoubt to settle the bee reserve, says Villagrán.
"There is a chain of life that is in danger and that harbors our planet, not only from the food we consume, but from mammals, birds, insects and all life on Earth."He says.
Calls on the population to try to feed the bees that are alive, and hopefully based on honey, because it ensures that giving water with sugar is not enough for bees to stay alive and healthy, because water with sugar means carbohydrates, but they also need protein food, such as pollen, "because that allows them to develop morphologically"He says.
"The other thing that can be done is to leave juicy fruit to feed, we are in season of watermelons and melons, which can deliver not only hydration but a natural sweetness"He says.
Approximately 400 thousand hectares of forest, urban and agricultural land devastated by the hundreds of fires that affect Chile from the Coquimbo region to the Austral Zone.
For now, added the millions of dead bees, the destruction of the infrastructure of beekeepers, and the consumed consumed by fires, the losses calculated for the sector exceed 500 million pesos.
Misael Cuevas, president of the Federation Red Apícola Nacional, recalls that the 73% of world food production depends on pollinators and the main pollinator that exists is bees.
"We are collecting sugar, soy flour, brewer's yeast, quinoa flour, because we have to combine sugar with proteins, it is not about giving them pure energy, but a combination ", he explained.
The president of the beekeeping organization remembers that bees are the greatest custodian of biodiversity, since by their work comes the fruit and seed that feeds the world, animals, men, birds and insects. "They are the basis of the food chain, apart from its importance in agricultural production", He emphasizes.
Patricia Estay, Entomologist of the Institute of Agricultural Research, INIA, clarifies that giving food to bees could be useful in agricultural or rural sectors, but not in the city, because the level of stress that insects are bearing may have Erratic and very aggressive behavior, especially for children.
The INIA researcher draws attention to the danger and comments that native species are disappearing as a result of fires, high temperatures and diseases. In Chile there are more than 300 species, some of them native, that are affected. Honey producers (melliferous) can reproduce, but there are others that do not recover anymore, and that is "much more serious," says Estay.
The absence of flora due to the fire disaster will last at least six months, until spring, when the plants are expected to flourish, meanwhile the effort must be in the assisted feeding, in the way that the experts have called.
Source: BlueberriesChile.cl - BlueberriesConsulting.com
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