Current land‐use trends in Kenya's montane forest ecosystems show that land uses are changing fast due to natural and anthropogenic factors and these changes could have devastating effects on the environment. One such montane forest is the transboundary Mt. Elgon forest located in western Kenya. This study analysed trends in land use–land cover changes in Mt. Elgon forest ecosystem over the last 45 years. Landsat imageries downloaded from the United States Geological Survey archives were used to assess land use–land cover changes between 1973 and 2019 by applying supervised classification using Arc GIS 10.5. The IDRISI Selva 17.0 was used to calculate area under different land uses and generate change maps. The major Land Use–Land Cover (LULC) classified were mixed farming, natural forests, planted forests, bamboo forest, fallow land, tea plantation. The landsat images had an average overall classification accuracy of 87.12% and kappa coefficient (K) of 0.84. The kappa coefficient was rated as substantial and the classified images qualified for further analysis. Results established that there was an 18% decline in the natural forest cover between 1977 and 2019. There was a similar decline of 15.19% in bamboo forest cover. Plantation forests established in the 1990's also showed a 15.6% decline between 1999 and 2019. There was, however, a 29% increase in mixed farming, a 10% increase in fallow land and a 0.13% increase in tea plantations. These changes in land uses and land cover call for an urgent need to develop sustainable management plans to protect and conserve the Mt. Elgon forest ecosystem. Sustainable land management strategies to be used in the future may include education on the significance of the forest ecosystem, community participation in sustainable utilisation of forest eco‐services and the introduction of sustainable alternative sources of livelihoods, such as bee farming.

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Background: Kenya's rich wildlife is an important natural resource and is vital to the country's economy. However, rapid infrastructure development in key wildlife areas has threatened the survival of numerous species including raptors. Policy: The growing distribution of electricity grids in Kenya poses a significant risk to raptors and populations of other large birds. This research aimed to review the policy gaps in Kenya’s National Energy Policy (2018) examining the strategies for developing bird friendly transmission power lines in Kenya, with a goal to reduce the negative impact on raptor populations and improve their conservation. The findings indicate a high overlap between the ecological niche of raptors with medium and high voltage transmission power lines, with indication of high-risk hotspots for electrocution and collisions. Recommendations: This policy brief therefore proposes the adoption of bird friendly power lines in new transmission infrastructure projects and retrofitting existing power lines with bird friendly devices. This can be achieved through strengthening the legal and regulatory frameworks in the National Energy Policy. This will help prioritize avian conservation in power lines infrastructural development projects including the development of specific policies and guidelines for the placement, orientation, and marking of power lines to reduce the risk of electrocution and collisions of raptor species. Conclusions: Kenya committed to protecting migratory bird species and their habitats by signing the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals in 1999. However, the National Energy Policy of 2018 lacks guidelines for bird-friendly power lines. Addressing this requires collaboration from the government, power companies, research institutions, conservation groups, and local communities. A concerted effort involving public education, targeted funding for research, and stakeholder collaboration can help Kenya meet its conservation obligations and safeguard vital habitats for migratory birds.

<p><strong>Background</strong>. Montane forests encompass spectacular landscapes, a wide variety of ecosystems, a great diversity of species, and distinctive human communities. Mountain forests support about one quarter of world’s terrestrial biodiversity and include nearly half of the world’s biodiversity “hotspots.<strong> </strong>Understanding of land  use  change (LUC) in mountain forest ecosystem  is  crucial  for  sustainable  management of the ecosystem especially in developing countries like Kenya where the majority of the people depend  on natural  resources  for  their  livelihoods. Changes in land use in this forest ecosystem could lead to a decline in biodiversity and in the livelihoods of the forest adjacent communities. <strong>Objective:</strong> To evaluate the differences in land use changes and floral diversity of Mt. Elgon forest ecosystem. <strong>Methodology:</strong> Differences in land use changes on floral diversity were evaluated using quadrats that were placed in different land uses to measure species diversity and abundance. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index and Whittaker beta diversity index was used to determine changes and similarities in floral diversity, while Kruskal-Wallis test and chi square test was used to determine differences in species abundances. <strong>Result:</strong> This study established that there were differences in floral diversity in relations to land use changes. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index revealed that control (natural forest) site had the highest species diversity (H=2.07331, evenness=0.884), followed by indigenous plantations (H=1.93962; evenness 0.69957), urban settlements (H=1.85081; evenness=0.66754), Nyayo Tea Zone (H=1.5324, evenness=0.56), mixed farming (H=1.43694, evenness=0.43694) and exotic plantation (H=1.28231, evenness=0.61612). Whittaker beta diversity index for control site verses urban settlements was (0.5385), indigenous plantations (0.2222), Nyayo Tea Zone (0.1429) while mixed farming and exotic plantations (0.000). Kruskal-Wallis test revealed a statistically significant differences in total number of plant species in the various study sites (H=8.288; P=0.049). Similarly, the results revealed a significant difference between specific plant communities (trees, shrubs, herbs, ferns, and climbers) in the study area (H=38.116; P=0.000). Chi square test of homogeneity was used to test difference in distribution of species communities in different location and the results revealed that the differences were insignificant. <strong>Implications:</strong> Results of species diversity analyses show differences in floral diversity and similarities in areas under different land uses. <strong>Conclusion</strong>: There are significant differences in floral diversity in areas under different land uses of Mt. Elgon forest ecosystem. Species diversity and similarity of indigenous planted forests and urban settlement closely approach that of the natural forests. Floral diversity play a critical role in provisioning of essential ecosystem services.</p>