A. humilis grows in a very harsh desert environment, requiring a specific soil type.

Each flower of the dwarf bear-poppy consists of four circular, white petals that surround the yellow stamens and green pistil in the center.

[2] However, the poppy now relies on an invasive generalist pollinator, the Africanized honey bee (Apis mellifera scutellata Lepeletier).

These mechanisms allow the dwarf bear-poppy to survive the harsh, dry conditions of the desert environment.

However, these soil crusts, which take hundreds of years to form, are easily damaged by off-road vehicle use and construction.

Calculating the total population size is difficult due to the inability to determine the number of dormant seeds in the soil.

In theory there is a large area of land that would suit the poppy, but many human factors restrict the dwarf bear-poppy's range.

This allowed for off-road vehicles to drive through dwarf bear-poppy land, resulting in a decline in population size.

[4] This development resulted in smaller, poor quality habitats for the dwarf bear-poppy and split the existing populations in half.

Off-road vehicles and recreation have begun to erode the crust, leading to habitat and soil degradation.

Over time the number of specialist pollinators for the dwarf bear-poppy has declined due to competition.

The pollinator that the dwarf bear-poppy now relies on, the Africanized honey bee, is also experiencing a decline in population size.

Continued erosion and soil compaction, due to human activities, poses a serious threat for this species.

Compaction of soil is harmful because it damages root systems and reduces the plant's ability to get nutrients.

Additionally, the top crust that the dwarf bear-poppy depends on is beginning to erode and deteriorate.

[1] This review includes information about the dwarf bear-poppy as well as threats and potential recovery plans.

Other threats included invasive species, small mammal predation, transplanting, mining, and insufficient regulations.

[1] The review selected three criteria for recovery: reducing threats, protecting existing plants, and creating awareness for the dwarf bear-poppy.

Additionally, dormant dwarf bear-poppy seeds also make population sizes hard to estimate.

Fences have been put up by the BLM to prevent off-highway vehicle use in areas where the dwarf bear-poppy is present.

However, this protection requires that the BLM continues to categorize the dwarf bear-poppy as a special status species.

The first steps include protection from development, reducing habitat loss, supporting pollinators, promoting research, growing seeds, and updating the recovery plan.

Complete counts of smaller populations, reducing heavy land use, better law enforcement, research on species response, and working with city planners were all brought up as recommendations for future conservation efforts.

The plan supports stricter enforcement of the Bureau of Land Management regulations using investigations and fines.

The recovery plan addressed this issue by encouraging better mapping and the further study of poppy populations.

The plan also claimed that future efforts should focus on growing more dwarf-bear poppies from seeds and plant tissues.

Awareness was raised by creating educational programs to inform the public on conservation efforts for the dwarf bear-poppy.

Mapping existing populations, posting informative signs at nature trails, and preventing off-highway vehicle use are just a few of these actions.

Some actions taken include mapping existing populations, posting informative signs, and preventing off-highway vehicle use.

Utah has also begun putting protections on dwarf-bear poppies in a desired development area called the Tonaquint block.