Wild Bees Across the Forest-Agricultural Interface in Northwestern Morocco

In northwestern Morocco, the Larache cork oak forest and the neighboring Gharb plain are facing increasing pressure from urban expansion and intensive agriculture. These land-use changes pose a serious threat to local biodiversity, particularly to wild bee populations. In order to assess the relationship between the wild bee fauna in forest and crop environments, we conducted a comprehensive survey using a combination of trapping methods and direct field observations in sampled stations over the course of 2022 and 2023. A total of 571 specimens were identified, representing 80 species, 21 genera, and 6 families. The results reveal a significant contrast between both landscapes: the higher richness and abundance of almost all families of wild bees in the cork oak forest demonstrate that these seminatural Mediterranean habitats are essential to sustain the functional diversity of wild bees. Approximately 18.75% of species were shared, especially between the forest edge and agricultural lands, which reflects not only the wild bees’ adaptability but also the functional interdependence between the two ecosystems. Maintaining forest–agriculture connectivity is, therefore, crucial for sustaining pollinator diversity at the landscape scale.