In northern Chile, such as the Atacama Desert and coastal fog oases, there is a highly specialized biota of lichens adapted to extreme conditions of aridity, UV exposure, and limited nutrients. This work consists of a literature review of the biotechnological potential of compounds present in lichens from arid ecosystems in Chile. Among the most representative families are Ramalinaceae, Pannariaceae, Physciaceae, Parmeliaceae and Cladoniaceae, whose species involved have secondary metabolites with important functional functions and biotechnological applications. Compounds such as tumidulin and ramaline derivatives have demonstrated antioxidant activity and significant antitumor activity in concentrations between 5 µg/mL and 50 µg/mL respectively in the Ramalinaceae family, with a protective role against oxidative stress. In humid microenvironments created by fog, the Pannariaceae family has been associated with the production of psoromic acid, which possess high enzyme inhibitory activity over HMG-CoA reductase (60 µg/mL; 65,18 to 74,81%) and AChE (10 µg/mL; 43,47%) and beneficial effects on free radicals. Physciaceae, adapted to develop on exposed substrates, produces depsidones and depsids with antioxidant activity and ROS-regulating activity. In Parmeliaceae, metabolites such as usnic acid and physiodic acid are antimicrobial and exhibit cytotoxic activity at multiple concentrations and bacteria species/cell lines, while Cladoniaceae provides compounds such as fumarprotocetric acid with anti-inflammatory and bactericidal activities with MIC values of 4.6 μg/mL in Gram (+) bacteria such as Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis, and Gram (-) bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes. These phytochemicals protect against radiation, desiccation and consumption by herbivores, being excellent candidates for the generation of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and natural antioxidants. Combined taxonomic, chemical, and bioanalytical research reveals that the chemical diversity of desert lichens is strongly correlated with habitat and phylogeny. The conservation of lichen biodiversity in desert areas can be proposed as a strategy in biotechnological innovation and in the research of extreme environments.