LONDON

Europe’s wild bees and butterflies are spiraling toward extinction, a major new conservation assessment has warned, prompting urgent calls for action to halt the decline of these vital pollinators.

The latest European-level update to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List reveals a sharp rise in the number of species at risk.

Nearly 100 more wild bee species are now considered threatened, bringing the total to 172 out of 1,928 assessed – meaning one in 10 of Europe’s wild bees are at risk of extinction.

In 2014, that figure stood at just 77.

The IUCN reports that more than 20% of both bumblebee and cellophane bee species are now under threat.

Among them are 15 species of bumblebees – crucial pollinators for plants such as peas, beans and clover – and 14 species of cellophane bees, which play a key role in pollinating daisies and trees like red maples.

The crisis extends beyond bees. Europe’s butterflies are also facing mounting peril, with 65 out of 442 assessed species – around 15% – now threatened with extinction, up from 37 species in 2010.

More than 40% of butterflies found only in Europe are either threatened or close to becoming so.

Conservationists say the findings paint a “dire” picture for Europe’s pollinators, whose decline jeopardizes both natural ecosystems and food production across the continent.