The earless monitor lizard has not been rated by the IUCN, but it likely qualifies for vulnerable (if its range covers less than ) or endangered (if its range covers less than ). The species is usually considered very rare, but it is easily overlooked and as recently as 1999 the only published confirmed records were from Sarawak. Confirmation from Kalimantan only appeared later. In some areas locals are unaware of its presence or consider it rare, but in others it may be common. At one site in West Kalimantan, 17 of 21 locals asked were aware of its presence and most of these considered it common. At three other sites in the region the majority asked were aware of its presence, but less than half considered it common. Elsewhere in West Kalimantan, a three-night survey of a long section of a stream, as well as two adjacent streams, located 19 earless monitor lizards, representing an unusually high density for a lizard of this size. Despite this high density in a stream used by locals for washing, fishing and as a source of drinking water, they only reported seeing the species very rarely and some had never seen it. Nevertheless, at present the earless monitor lizard is only known for certain from a relatively small number of sites.