For a long time, trypanosomosis, spread by the tsetse fly Glossina, constrained human settlement in the Lambwe Valley, a south-western Kenya rangeland. After lengthy efforts to control tsetse over many years, the valley is currently experiencing an increase in human population growth rate, and rapid changes in land-use and cover are taking place.

Participatory rural appraisal techniques and a survey of 100 households were used to evaluate livestock production, and pastoral development of the Maasai in Mara. It was observed that patterns of land-use have principally changed from nomadic pastoralism to sedentary pastoralism, agropastoralism, and, in some cases, pure cultivation. These trends have adversely affected livestock production and the productive capacity of the Mara ecosystem.

In the past mines were abandoned after mining activities leaving undesired effects on the landscape and water sources. Numerous accidents occur in quarries across Kenya leading to deaths of 30 people annually. Mining is an activity presenting a plethora of environmental, social and economic problems thus using abandoned quarries as sites for new construction is a useful form of reclamation, one that has occurred throughout history.

There has been tremendous changes in soil use and management in the River Njoro Watershed during the last three decades. Formerly large-scale farms converted into smallholder farms and plantation forests have gradually been lost. These changes in soil use have brought in different soil use and management approaches that have triggered soil erosion and other forms of land degradation. Up to 8.6 Kg of soil, loss per hectare from the cultivated soils has reportedly been lost in one storm. This massive soil loss was probably due to reduced aggregate stability and hydraulic conductivity.

Tropical rainforests are characterized by habitat stability and complexity. Hence, the forests
support a rich biological diversity, including 40% of all bird species. However, these rain
forests have been shrinking due to increasing rate of deforestation, fragmentation, and other
forms of resource exploitation. Degradation and loss of rainforests has threatened their rich
biological diversity and the life-support systems. However, the rate at which birds are
displaced by forest clearing and the potential for birds' conservation on farmlands are not

The study was carried out on twelve runoff
plots installed at Kabete Campus Field Station,
University of Nairobi, on a 10% natural slope of
eutric Nitisol to assess the effect of grass strips
in controlling soil loss and runoff on sloping land.
Four treatments, a control plot without grass strip
and three different widths (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 m.) of
Nandi setaria (Setaria anceps), were tested under
natural rainfall during 1982 and 1983, simulated
runoff, and simulated rainfall of 80 mm/hr.