Roberta Bettinetti,^* Silvia Quadroni,^** Giuseppe Crosa,^*** David Harper,^**** Jennifer Dickie,^***** Margaret Kyalo,^****** Kenneth Mavuti,^******* Silvana Galassi<sup>********


*</sup>Roberta Bettinetti () is an Assistant Professor at the Chemical and Environmental Sciences Department, University of Insubria, Como, Italy. She is a biologist and holds a PhD in Invertebrate Biology at the University of Milan in 1999. Her research interests are mainly focused on fate and assessment of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in freshwater and brackish environments, with particular attention to the implications on the food webs. Address: Department of Chemical and Environmental Sciences, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, 22100 Como, Italy. e-mail: roberta.bettinetti@uninsubria.it
^**Silvia Quadroni is a biologist and holds a PhD (2010) in Environmental Sciences at the University of Insubria, Como, Italy. The main topics of her research are referred to the ecological risk assessment of pollution of lakes and rivers, with a particular experience in the analytical determination of contaminants. Address: Department of Chemical and Environmental Sciences, University of Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, 22100 Como, Italy. Address: Department of Biology, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy. e-mail: silvia.quadroni@uninsubria.it
^***Giuseppe Crosa is Full Professor of Ecology at the Department of Structural and Functional Biology, University of Insubria Varese, Italy. He pursues research interests in applied freshwater ecology. The main body of his research is devoted to the environmental impact assessment and ecological management of regulated rivers and reservoirs with particular attention on the biological effects of water withdrawals and translocations. Address: Department of Structural and Functional Biology, University of Insubria Via Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy, e-mail: giuseppe.crosa@uninsubria.it
^****David Harper is a Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Conservation Biology in the University of Leicester UK. He has led research groups in the Rift Valley lakes of Kenya and Tanzania for over 25 years. The past 12 of these have been addressing the ecology and conservation of lesser flamingos in the soda lakes between Tanzania Kenya and Ethiopia. Address: Department of Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, England, UK. e-mail: dmharper57@googlemail.com
^*****Jennifer Dickie is a Research Associate in the Geography Department, University of Leicester. She has a background in Environmental Science, specialising in dryland geomorphology. Her work focuses on plant-soil interactions and their impact on land degradation. Her current interests also include mobile GIS and virtual reality with a particular focus on human/environmental applications. Address: Department of Geography, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, England, UK. e-mail: jad145@hotmail.com
^******Margaret Kyalo is a master thesis student working at the University of Nairobi within a project on the feeding habits of the lesser flamingos inhabiting the area of the East Rift Valley, Africa Address: School of Biological Sciences, University of Nairobi, 30197 00100 Nairobi, Kenya. e-mail: margaretkyalo@yahoo.com
^*******Kenneth Mavuti is a Professor of Zoology (Hydrobiology) at the University of Nairobi, Kenya and holds a PhD in Aquatic Ecology. His main topics of interest are the hydrobiology and fisheries in marine and freshwater environments and the environmental impact assessment and management. Address: School of Biological Sciences, University of Nairobi, 30197 00100 Nairobi, Kenya. e-mail: kmavuti@uonbi.ac.ke
^********Silvana Galassi is a biologist with a very long experience in the field of ecotoxicology. She is Full Professor of Ecology at the Biology Department of the University of Milan, Italy. Currently, her main research fields are the risk assessment of organic micropollutants making use of ecotoxicological test and of suitable predictive models. Address: Department of Biology, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy, e-mail: silvana.galassi@unimi.it