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Human-induced habitat alteration, degradation and destruction, largely due to extensive agricultural development (wine and wheat farming), have led to the irreversible alteration of more than 90% of Psammobates geometricus habitat. Human settlement, invasive alien species (both woody and herbaceous species), predators (including invasive feral pigs), overgrazing by domestic stock, droughts and wildfires (Baard 1997) seriously threaten survival in remaining habitats. Within its severely fragmented range, these threats are exacerbated in small, isolated subpopulations, which may not remain viable. Although infrequent, the illegal collection of specimens for local subsistence consumption and for the pet trade may be potentially significant threats. Subsidised native predators such as Chacma Baboons, Black-backed Jackals, and Pied Crows now exist in Geometric Tortoise areas, sometimes in high numbers, due to anthropogenic landscape change and management practices. The Pied Crow is increasingly common in mixed agricultural/native Fynbos tortoise habitat throughout the range of P. geometricus (Juvik and Hofmeyr 2015), and causes considerable mortality for many tortoise species (Fincham and Lambrechts 2014); it represents a currently unquantified but credible threat to recruitment in the remaining Geometric Tortoise subpopulations. For several decades, irrigation canals crossing the Ceres Valley's remaining Geometric Tortoise habitat have been acting as pitfalls, trapping and killing P. geometricus and other tortoise species in significant numbers (Juvik et al. 2014). A continuing threat involves improper management of P. geometricus habitat, which often becomes infested with alien plants and too densely vegetated to remain suitable for the species. A new threat is an increasing change of farming preferences from sheep to cattle, which cause greater damage to the habitat. The current conservation status is dire, and climate change, involving greater aridity (Midgley et al. 2005), is likely to seriously compromise the survival of remaining, fragmented subpopulations (Hofmeyr et al. 2006, 2017).
Psammobates geometricus has been included in CITES Appendix I since 1975, banning all commercial international trade, and is afforded protection under South African legislation. Geometric Tortoises occur in a number of private protected areas, although catastrophic wildfires have affected these subpopulations on occasion. Continued research into aspects of conservation biology is necessary in order to inform conservation measures. Securing conservation stewardship of remaining lowland habitats by landowners should be prioritized. More remaining habitat should be included into more formal conservation arrangements. A PHVA should be conducted, and a Conservation Action Plan (CAP) has already started and is being implemented (priority population monitoring, investigating new populations, and implementing invasive alien clearing and ecological fire management planning). CapeNature established an internal Threatened Species Working Group that facilitates planning and implementation of operational research, monitoring and management actions for threatened species. A Geometric Tortoise Biodiversity Management Plan – Species (BMP-s), with action tables, is being drafted and will replace the current CAP.