The species is presently listed in Annex I of the Spanish Royal Decree 439/1990, in the category 'sensible to the disturbance of its habitat', which guarantees protection of its natural habitat. Since 1985, it is strictly protected within the region of Valencia by a regional government decree.

In situ on the Columbretes: Here M. citrina occurs within a federally-owned nature reserve. Access to populations on the Islands Ferrara and Foradada is strictly prohibited apart from scientific expeditions. These two islands have now been designated as micro-reserves by the regional government, and a management plan was developed in 1993. The species has been reintroduced to the island of Grossa where it was eradicated by rabbits brought to the island in the 18th and 19th centuries. The rabbits were eliminated by 1987.

In situ 'Illot de la Mona': The plant micro-reserve, itself within the boundaries of the El Montago Nature Park and established by the regional government of Valencia, now fully protects this small population of approximately 25 plants. An action plan for the micro-reserve has recently been approved.

In situ on the Balearic Islands: Most of the subpopulations occur within the National Park of Cabrera. The botanical garden of Sóller has put in place a conservation plan on the islets around Cabrera, which includes reintroduction and monitoring of the populations. It is intended that these measures will also be applied to the islets of Ibiza. All the small Balearic islands are protected as Natural Areas of Special Interest under the Parliament of the Balearic Islands law 1/1991.

Ex situ: This plant is cultivated and seeds stored in the botanic garden of Valencia. It is also under cultivation in the botanical garden of Sóller and IMIDA (Instituto Murciano de Investigación y Desarrollo Agropecuario) of Murcia. No germplasm accessions are reported by EURISCO to be held in European genebanks (EURISCO Catalogue 2010).

The priority is to control attacks by the scale insect. It has been noted that the scale insect is a problem in citrus farms on the Spanish mainland, since farmers spray their citrus trees to kill a leaf miner, and in doing so kill a ladybird which is the main predator of the scale insect. If correct, measures are needed to maintain ladybirds in the areas where Medicago grows. A method of controlling Cuscuta also needs to be identified, and invasive alien species (e.g., Opuntia maxima) need to be managed. In general, conservation efforts require more information about the population trends of M. citrina over a prolonged period. Reintroduction work needs to be continued.