Monitoring of the two known subpopulations of E. clivicola indicated a 91% decline in mature individuals in the last 20 years (1-2 generations). Declines resulted due to urban expansion of Polokwane impacting on one subpopulation, and unfavourable management practices of the nature reserve where the other subpopulation is located. This species is also a highly sought after item for succulent collectors (Fourie 1984), and despite being Red Listed, on Cites Appendix II and protected under the former Transvaal Nature Conservation Ordinance's schedule of protected plants, plants are still traded (P.J.D. Winter pers. comm.) Studies on the ecology of E. clivicola indicated that it requires regular burning and is sensitive to high intensity of herbivory, which is impacting on the subpopulation in a nature reserve that is overstocked with native antelope (Pfab and Witkowski 1999a, b). A population viability model incorporating four different management scenarios was developed for the subpopulation protected within the nature reserve based on demographic data collected between 1987 and 1996. The model predicted an 88% probability of extinction within 20 years based on the management practices that was in place at the time. Recommendations were that fire frequency should be increased, herbivores excluded and ex situ individuals be introduced into the population to bring down the extinction risk to 2% within 100 years. The reserve management however conceded only to increase the fire frequency in the reserve, which still meant a 58% probability of extinction within 50 years (Pfab and Witkowski 2000). This subpopulation has by 2008 declined to less than 10 mature individuals due to the ongoing impacts of herbivory by native antelope as well as rodents (R.H. Archer pers. comm.) and possibly disease (M. Leroy pers. comm.) This subpopulation is now on the brink of extinction within only 10 years, which surpasses even the worst case scenario of Pfab and Witkowski's study. The subpopulation on the urban edge of Polokwane has remained fairly stable within the last 10 years, mainly due to the absence of herbivory. There has likely been sporadic declines due to collecting and ongoing habitat degradation. The development pressure on this site is intense, but development applications have so far been turned down under new EIA regulations due to the potential impact on E. clivicola (M. Leroy pers. comm.).

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