The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems is the global standard for ecosystem risk assessment and a framework for monitoring the status of the world’s ecosystems. It  is part of the growing toolbox for assessing risks to biodiversity and aims to support conservation, resource use and management decisions by identifying ecosystems most at risk of biodiversity loss. By targeting a level of biological organisation above  species, the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems complements The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ in supporting biodiversity conservation decision-making and action. The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems Categories and Criteria are designed to be widely applicable across ecosystem types and geographical areas, transparent and scientifically rigorous, and easily understood by policymakers and the public.