The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) has begun the Red List Assessment of Ecosystems (RLE) project, the first such State-level exercise in India. Running for one year, it is being carried out jointly by the Kerala Forest Research Institute and MES Asmabi College to gauge the risk of ecosystem collapse in all 14 districts. Forests, rivers, Myristica swamps, shola-grassland systems and coastal mangroves will be examined against five standard IUCN criteria. Tropical riparian evergreen forests of the southern Western Ghats, which have shrunk by 83% over the past century, are rated Critically Endangered under IUCN criteria. The findings will flag threats and guide restoration, climate adaptation and sustainable development.