Though locally abundant in some areas, the Chinese water dragon faces persistent unrestrained threats and a steadily declining wild population. It is listed as Vulnerable in Vietnamese conservation lists, and Endangered in Thailand and China. In accordance with a 2022 proposal, the Chinese water dragon has been listed on
CITES Appendix II (requiring a CITES-approved permit for export) since 2023. Introduced populations in Hong Kong have a much higher population density (about 114 per 100 meters) than native Vietnamese populations.
Hunting and the pet trade , Vietnam The most severe threat to the species is harvesting for meat and the
pet trade. According to a series of 2016 interviews with 21 rural hunter groups, water dragons are a frequent and easy target of traps and hand collecting throughout Thua Thien Hue. Hunting pressure is greatest in May and June, with adult males prioritized due to their large size and conspicuous appearance. This agrees with the decreasing proportion of adult males found in June compared to April. Water dragon meat is typically sold to local restaurants, while eggs are stored in rice wine to be used as
traditional medicine. Skins and leather are also traded and exported. , Switzerland Wild water dragons are captured and sold as pets on social media platforms for both Vietnamese customers and the international markets of Europe and the United States. In Vietnam, about five times as many Chinese water dragons are sold for meat compared to those sold as pets. Exports to Europe began in 1975 and have accelerated in recent decades. From 2010 to 2018, a stable average of around 7,000 live Chinese water dragons per year were exported to the
European Union. Approximately 89% came from Vietnam, though information on their production (wild caught or captive bred) is available for fewer than 13% of recorded exports to Europe. Exports to the United States are even higher despite recent declines: an average of 81,000 per year from 2002 to 2011, and around 48,000 per year from 2013 to 2017. Practically all water dragons exported to the United States are Vietnamese in origin. At least 95% are wild caught while around 3% are reportedly captive bred in Vietnam. It is probable that some individuals sourced from Vietnam were actually collected from other nations, simply using the ports of Vietnam as a transit hub. Captive breeding is a viable but limited conservation strategy; Chinese water dragons breed readily in captivity, though not at a high enough rate to counteract demand. There is no direct evidence that captive breeding programs in Vietnam are in operation, despite claims of captive-bred exports.
Habitat loss A smaller threat, though still impactful, is degradation or removal of the forested stream habitats which water dragons rely on. In Thua Thien Hue, illegal logging and a major highway construction project are likely partially responsible for losses in the
Nam Dong and
A Luoi districts. These pressures are less prevalent in the uplands of
Phong Dien district, which seems to not experience the same degree of population decline. Logging and expansion of agricultural and tourism infrastructure also contribute to the paucity of suitable habitats in Northern Vietnam. Coal mining, stream pollution, and climate change may also threaten the species, as reported for ecologically similar reptiles in the region, such as the
Chinese crocodile lizard (
Shinisaurus crocodilurus). Despite its common name, the Chinese water dragon is exceedingly rare in China, where it is threatened by dam construction on top of the same pressures as the Vietnamese populations. Suitably undeveloped habitats are uncommon in Cambodia and Laos. The few Chinese water dragons present in Thailand are stable and locally abundant thanks to their range lining up with
protected areas such as
Khao Yai National Park and
Namtok Phlio National Park. ==Gallery==