View source for Central Asian cobra

===Conservation status===
This species is classified as Data Deficient (DD) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v3.1, 2011). The conservation status of this species was last assessed in 2010.<ref name=iucn/> 

This species is protected in all wildlife reserves in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. However, the main threat to the Central Asian cobra as a species comes from humans. The construction of new housing, cutting wood for firewood, and deforestation to create pastureland, causes the destruction of habitat for these cobras and their prey and increases the likelihood of confrontation with humans, as the cobras seek food in human-populated areas. Excessive irrigation for [[Agriculture|agricultural]] purposes has led to the loss of much of the Tugai ecosystem as it is transformed into desert. The overgrazing of cattle leads to a reduction of food sources for the species' prey as well. These trends, along with over-hunting and indiscriminate killing by humans, have led to a reduction of the Central Asian cobra population.<ref>Krever, V., O. Pereladova, M. Williams, and H. Jungius. (1998). ''[http://www.wwf.ru/resources/publ/book/eng/36 Biodiversity conservation in central Asia: An analysis of biodiversity and current threats and initial investment portfolios.]'' World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), Washington DC.</ref><ref>Sokolov, V.Y., and Y.Y. Syroechkovskii. (1990). Reserves of Central Asia and Kazakhstan. Mysl’, Moscow, USSR.</ref>