Transient exposure to environmental estrogen affects embryonic development of brown trout (Salmo trutta fario).

Transient exposure of brown trout embryos from fertilization until hatch (70 days) to 17β-estradiol (E2) was investigated. Embryos were exposed to 3.8 and 38.0 ng/L E2 for 2h, respectively, under four scenarios: (A) exposure once at the day of fertilization (0 days post-fertilization, dpf), (B) once at eyeing stage (38 dpf), (C) weekly exposure until hatch or (D) bi-weekly exposure until hatch. Endpoints to assess estrogen impact on embryo development were fertilization success, chronological sequence of developmental events, hatching process, larval malformations, heart rate, body length and mortality. Concentration-dependent acceleration of development until median hatch was observed in all exposure scenarios with the strongest effect observed for embryos exposed once at 0 dpf. In addition, the hatching period was significantly prolonged by 4-5 days in groups receiving single estrogen exposures (scenarios A and B). Heart rate on hatching day was significantly depressed with increasing E2 concentrations, with the strongest effect observed for embryos exposed at eyeing stage. Estrogenic exposure at 0 dpf significantly reduced body length at hatch, not depending on whether this was a single exposure or the first of a series (scenarios A and D). The key finding is that even a single, transient E2 exposure during embryogenesis had significant effects on brown trout development. Median hatch, hatching period, heart rate and body length at hatch were found to be highly sensitive biomarkers responsive to estrogenic exposure during embryogenesis. Treatment effects were observable only at the post-hatch stage.

Ethnography of a Land-Deal. Local Perceptions and Vertical Perspectives of a Large Scale Land Acquisition Project in Northern Sierra Leone

In the aftermath of the devastating civil war, the Sierra Leonean government created favourable conditions for foreign investors willing to lease large areas of land to bring development to the country. A team of anthropologists and geographers did extensive fieldwork on the Addax Bioenergy Project in order to a) document the project affected people’s (PAP) perceptions and interests on a horizontal level and b) identify the different actors that are necessary for the implementation of such a project on the vertical level. Findings indicate that the project triggers a number of processes: Cultural and linguistic differences between PAP and company, their diverse understanding of development and the stance of local elites led to misunderstandings concerning each other’s responsibilities and created a lot of frustration on both sides. Further, the loss of natural resources that comes along with the land lease affects mostly women and other vulnerable groups.

The struggle to diversify rural livelihoods: Bio-enterprise development initiatives and their impacts on agro-/pastoral communities in the drylands of Kenya

This article analyses the impacts of four different bio-enterprise initiatives on agro-pastoral livelihoods and on improved natural resources management (NRM) in the drylands of Kenya. In this way it contributes to an area of rural development that is gaining increasing interest, but still has little empirical evidence. Data were collected through interviews, focus group discussions, informal discussions and the study of reports. One of the key findings of this article is that diversification into enterprises requires cooperation among the stakeholders with their varying experiences in development, NRM and business development. In addition to initial investments, such enterprises need sustained financial, as well as other support like capacity development to survive the market introduction phase. For such enterprises to defend their market niches, the quantity and quality of the product are critical. In addition to support in human, financial, social, physical and natural capital, mentoring is another crucial factor for success.