The survival and reproduction of amphibians were seriously threatened by habitat loss and degradation globally, and natural habitat protection has a high priority in amphibian conservation. The Taliang Knobby Newt (Liangshantriton taliangensis) is a rare caudata species endemic to the Hengduan Mountains, Sichuan, southwestern China and its population status and conservation are widely concerned. In the current study, based on 33 distribution sites and 9 environmental variables data, we predicted the potential suitable distribution area of the Taliang Knobby Newt by MaxEnt model. A total of 14 (five national and nine provincial) nature reserves were used for gap analysis. Scaled mass index (SMI) was quantified to estimate body conditions of 7 populations including 218 individuals, and the differences of SMI between populations inside and outside of Sichuan Liziping National Nature Reserve (LZP) and the variation of the normalized vegetation index (NDVI) in the reserve were further analyzed for assessing conservation effectiveness of the nature reserve. The results indicated that:(1) the most important environmental variables affecting the distribution of the Taliang Knobby Newt were NDVI (contribution 34.33%), the precipitation of driest month (26.81%), and altitude (20.92%). (2) The high suitable habitat of the Taliang Knobby Newt was mainly concentrated in the Xiaoxiangling (XXL) and Liangshan (LS) Mountains, accounting for 15.38% of the study area. 23.62% of the high suitable habitats of the Taliang Knobby Newt were covered by the existing nature conservation network. There were still 3760.91km² conservation gaps. 3) The male SMI in LZP was significantly higher than that of individuals outside the reserve (t-test, P=0.006), and the female SMI was no significant difference (t-test, P=0.214). The NDVI in the last 6 years of the reserve was significantly higher than that before the establishment of the reserve (Mann-Whitney U test, P<0.0001). All of these indicated that the conservation effectiveness of LZP was positive. Based on the results, we proposed systematic restoration measures to enhance the protection capacity on the Taliang Knobby Newt, including developing the salamander as important conservation target species, expanding current nature reserves, establishing conservation communities or rescue centers, and building ecological corridors.