Due to the small habitat range, interspecies competition, and climate change, the population of the Shenandoah salamander is vulnerable to extinction.

In addition, the Shenandoah salamander lacks the “salt and pepper” color pattern on its underside that is characteristic of P. cinereus, and has a slightly larger and more broadly rounded head.

[8] Due to the lack of lungs, successful respiration depends on the ability to maintain skin moisture, thus restricting body size and necessitating a moist environment such as forested areas.

This species is chiefly nocturnal, hunting for food at night and taking cover in dark, damp locations like rock crevices and underneath logs during the day.

Salamanders regulate population dynamics via predation of insects and other invertebrates, aerate the soil through burrowing behavior, and influence large-scale processes such as decomposition.

[16][17] The two species compete for large cover objects that provide cool temperatures and high moisture levels, but the territoriality of P. cinereus results in competitive exclusion of the Shenandoah salamander from moist soil environments.

[19] Although the direct effects of soil acidification on the Shenandoah salamander have not been documented, studies have shown that amphibians are extremely vulnerable to this process.

[6] Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans or salamander chytrid fungus causes the infectious disease chytridiomycosis, which is considered to be a large factor in the declining populations of amphibians globally.

In the 1994 recovery plan, it was thought that further debilitation of overstory vegetation, changes in soil chemistry, and direct impacts to the salamanders associated with acid deposition and other sources of air pollution were potential threats.

[6] Finally, there was the potential disturbance to the habitat of the Shenandoah salamander due to hiking trail maintenance, use, and backcountry camping.

Cloud base elevation, which is influenced by climate variables, is likely to continue to shrink the suitable range of the Shenandoah salamander.

[1] In 2015, the Center for Biological Diversity presented a petition for designating a critical habitat for nine species including the Shenandoah salamander.

[26] As the salamander requires very specific habitat conditions, and is restricted to the high-elevation mountains in Virginia, it is under an increasing threat from climate change, invasive species, pollution, and human activities.

[26] Designating this area as a critical habitat would address potentially incompatible Park Service management and would be beneficial for the conservation of the salamander species.

Because of this competition, it would not be advisable to attempt to increase population numbers, transplant individuals, or reduce naturally occurring competitors.

In the absence of anthropogenic threats, the USFWS determined that it was not possible to establish criteria to de-list or down-list the species in the foreseeable future.

[6][29] As the species is endemic to higher elevations and the range is protected by the National Park Services, human impacts are minimized.

Since the recovery plan was established, evidence has emerged that climate change may be a primary threat to the species, potentially influencing competition.