Cleared woodland for agriculture has severely reduced the habitat of Pan troglodytes verus. Some countries in western Africa have passed laws to protect these chimpanzees. However, these laws are not always enforced effectively, and the chimpanzees continue to disappear at an alarming rate. There is, a need for more protected areas with adequate staffing and greater financial support.
One of the largest populations of this subspecies is most probably to be found in the Côte d'Ivoire. Other populations can be found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau and Liberia.
An estimate gives 12,000 as a possible figure for the Pan troglodytes verus population. P.t.verus is considered as "Endangered" by the IUCN. CITES lists the species as "Appendix 1".