The IUCN had listed the Nimba otter shrew as endangered in 1990, but in 2018 the status was changed to vulnerable. The species is confined to an area less than 5,000 km² on Mount Nimba, which is currently fragmented due to mining and wetland rice agriculture. The mining operations also produce runoff into the creeks and streambeds that is highly toxic. The current population is decreasing at a rate of 1 per 10 km² (almost 500 otter shrews per year). Although an exact number is unknown at this time, there is believed to be less than 2500-3500 individuals in the wild; there are none in captivity. At this rate the Nimba otter shrew was predicted to be extinct between 2017 and 2020. The population within Liberia's East Nimba Nature Reserve was reported healthy in 2013. The species is also present in the Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve of Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire, but this reserve is adjacent to a mining operation and is not fully protected from poaching.