2004). Effects of land use, nestingsite availability, and the presence of larger raptors on the abundance of Vulnerable lesser kestrels Printed in the United Kingdom 224 to land use. Cliffs in semi-natural grasslands were apparently preferred over those in natural steppe, while those in agricultural landscapes were avoided despite the lower presence there of larger raptors. Large-scale transformation of steppe and grasslands into intensive agriculture might have reduced lesser kestrel numbers,

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... nd with the development of new agricultural projects, monitoring and conservation programmes for lesser kestrel populations are urgently required in Kazakhstan. Biographical sketches All the authors are interested in the biology and conservation of threatened bird species. The collaboration between the Kazakh and Spanish research teams is aimed at comparing the ecology and conservation problems of avian species and communities in the relatively more pristine Asian steppes and the fragmented landscapes of Europe.