habitat destruction, deforestation, and collection for the pet trade all threaten the existence of this animal. studies suggest that leaf-tailed geckos can only inhabit a very specific environment and are not tolerant of any degradation of its natural habitat. this makes the satanic leaf-tailed gecko very vulnerable to the impacts of habitat degradation and harvesting, a common problem due to it being a very popular pet. the world wide fund for nature (wwf) lists all of the "uroplatus" species on their "top ten most wanted species list" of animals threatened by illegal wildlife trade, because of it "being captured and sold at alarming rates for the international pet trade". it is a cites appendix 2 protected animal.