It inhabits primary hill and lower montane forest, from c.300 m up to at least 1,500 m, and at least occasionally down to c.150 m (Eaton et al. 2016).

Lophura bulweri is endemic to Borneo, where it is known from Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia, Kalimantan, Indonesia and Brunei. Although apparently rather patchily distributed, it was once described as very common in undisturbed parts of interior Borneo. In 1995, it was estimated to number fewer than 10,000 individuals. Despite there being no reason to believe that the species was threatened a decade ago, the paucity of recent records, combined with anecdotal information regarding its habits and alarming current rates of habitat loss, indicate that it may be declining rapidly.

Conservation Actions Underway
It is afforded protection under Indonesian law and is a protected species in Sarawak, Malaysia. It has recently been recorded in at least six protected areas including Kayan Mentarang National Park (Rowden 2001a), Bukit Raya National Park (Kalimantan), Gunung Mulu and Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary (Sarawak) and the Danum Valley Conservation Area (Sabah).  In total, Savini et al. (2021) estimated it is likely to occur in c.32,000 km² of protected area. Although kept in captivity, breeding success is said to be relatively low (Rowden 2001b)

Conservation Actions Proposed
Conduct extensive field surveys to assess its distribution, status and ecological requirements (focussing particularly on whether it is nomadic and reliant on masting events). Promote prohibition of hunting by those living or working within logging concessions. Promote the concept of Forest Management Units in Sabah (99-year concessions of great size). Assist forest managers in habitat identification and zoning of concession areas. Support the proposed extension of Bukit Raya National Park, and establishment of further protected areas found to hold populations. Continue to monitor habitat trends using remote sensing data.