Albert Salemgareyev works for the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan (ACBK) as a specialist in GIS and wildlife monitoring. This fellowship will support Albert to attend the MSc course in Applied Ecology and Conservation at the University of East Anglia. During this course, and after finishing it, Albert will work for the conservation of steppe ecosystems and particularly the conservation of greatly depleted steppe antelope species, the focus of an ongoing RSPB-led Darwin project. The knowledge gained will contribute to further developments in this field of work and in conserving steppe ecosystems in general.