The Malaysian rainforest is one of the 35 Mega Biodiversity Hotspots in the world; it is an intricate system of plant and animal communities that make up a complex web of habitats, food chains, and rivers. Deforestation for agriculture and development causes ecological decline, habitat loss, forest fragmentation, range contraction, and scarcity of food variety and availability; which forces wildlife tto entre populated areas and renders them vulnerable to human-animal conflict and worst still poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. The decline of animal species globally is tracked and reflected by the IUCN Red List.


RIMBA in Bahasa Malaysia means forest and was mindfully chosen as an acronym of Reptilia (reptiles), Ikan (fish), Mamalia (mammals), Burung (bird), and Amfibia (amphibians); which are all represented in this card game as it was developed to give a voice and face to the Malaysian rainforest in the efforts to raise awareness and advocate for better forest protection.

The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the world's biodiversity. Far more than a list of species and their status. It is a powerful tool to inform and catalyse action for biodiversity conservation and policy change, critical to protecting the natural resources we need to survive. It provides information about range, population size, habitat and ecology, use and/or trade, threats and conservation actions that will help inform necessary conservation decisions. The IUCN Red List divides species into nine categories that can be seen inside the box. RIMBA info cards show the specific IUCN ranking for each animal.​

​To date. many species including mammals, amphibians, birds, reef-building corals and conifers have been comprehensively assessed. As well as assessing newly recognized species, the IUCN Red List also re-assesses the status of some existing species, sometimes with positive stories to tell. For example, good news such as the down-listing (i.e. improvement) of a number of species on the IUCN Red List's categories scale; due to successful conservation efforts. The bad news, however, is that biodiversity is declining. Currently, there are more than 93,500 species on the IUCN Red List, and more than 26,000 are threatened with extinction, including 41% of amphibians, 34% of conifers, 33% of reef-building corals, 25% of mammals and 13% of birds.

All animals in the RIMBA playing deck have been referenced against the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Version 2018-2. http://www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 09 October 2018.