Avocados and vanilla among dozens of wild crop relatives facing extinction

Study finds agriculture and pesticide use threaten relatives of world's most important crops, considered crucial to food security

Wild relatives of some of the world's most important crops, including potatoes, avocados and vanilla, are threatened with extinction, according to a study.

Vanilla, an orchid native to South and Central America, is facing the highest risk of extinction, with all eight wild species found in the region listed as endangered or critically endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) red list of threatened plants and animals.