Forest edges and farmlands as key habitats for butterfly communities in a biodiversity hotspot: A case study from the Taita Hills, Kenya

Global biodiversity is declining, largely due to the conversion of natural habitats into agricultural land, settlements, and exotic tree plantations. This has left many natural habitats as small, geographically isolated fragments. The cloud forests of the Taita Hills in Kenya have undergone significant changes in recent decades, resulting in the fragmentation of indigenous forests into small remnants. Despite this, these remaining forest patches continue to support high levels of biodiversity. Butterflies, sensitive to habitat changes, serve as key ecosystem indicators. In this study, we investigated how butterfly composition, richness and abundance vary between forest edges and farmlands, across wet and dry seasons using transect counts and baited traps. We recorded 144 butterfly species from 62 genera across 5 families, totaling 17,438 individuals. Species richness, abundance and Shannon diversity were significantly higher at the forest edge than in farmlands. Non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis revealed distinct butterfly communities in the two habitats and seasons. Wet season had higher species richness than dry season, but no significant difference was found in butterfly abundance between seasons. Species richness and abundance did not significantly change with increase in distance from the forest edge. The forest edges support specialist species, including endemics, while farmlands host both savanna and forest specialists. Conservation efforts should focus on protecting remaining pristine forest fragments and creating diverse agricultural landscapes with hedges to aid butterfly conservation. • Habitat conversion is a major driver of butterfly diversity loss in tropical landscapes. • Forest edges and farmlands in the Taita Hills support distinct butterfly assemblages. • Forest edges sustain significantly higher butterfly diversity and abundance than farmlands. • Adult butterfly species richness is significantly greater in the wet season than the dry season. • Forest edge support endemic and specialist butterfly species, while farmlands support both savanna and certain forest specialists. • Conserving forest fragments and their edges is essential for maintaining butterfly biodiversity in Taita Hills.