The species has a limited range, and its population has declined significantly in recent decades.

The Central American squirrel monkey is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to habitat loss and fragmentation caused by deforestation for agriculture, development, and cattle ranching.

Conservation efforts in Costa Rica, particularly in national parks and protected areas like Manuel Antonio National Park and Corcovado National Park, have helped stabilise some populations.

Climate change contributes to alterations in the ecosystems that squirrel monkeys rely on. Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events like hurricanes can disrupt the tropical and subtropical forests of Costa Rica and Panama, where these monkeys live.

Squirrel monkeys are adapted to a specific range of temperatures found in tropical rainforests. However, rising temperatures due to climate change could lead to heat stress, making it difficult for the monkeys to regulate their body temperature. Prolonged heat exposure can affect their health, reduce fertility, and lower survival rates, especially in young and older monkeys.