Its conservation status has declined from common to endangered since rats were accidentally introduced to this World Heritage island in 1918.

Subspecies of Placostylus bivaricosus include: The genus Placostylus is a group of large ground dwelling gastropods with a disjunct distribution in the South west Pacific from the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and New Caledonia, to Lord Howe Island and the northern extremity of New Zealand.

In 2001, a recovery plan was completed to protect and recover the Lord Howe Island flax snail in the wild.

Actions include habitat and population surveys, community awareness raising and a captive-breeding program.

The Lord Howe Island Board, responsible for implementation of the recovery plan, has since constructed a rodent and bird proof enclosure for the project and the first generation of captive bred Lord Howe Island land snails has hatched.