There are at least seven species of bamboo in the SAVA (northeastern) region of Madagascar, some native and some introduced. Some lemurs are bamboo-eating specialists! People in Madagascar use bamboo for diverse purposes, even building their houses from it. Some bamboo are so dense, they make excellent substitutes for wood—and because they can grow […]
Written by Nestorine, Ph.D. student at the University of Mahajanga. Originally published in LEMURS Magazine: The “Where” Issue in February 2025. I was born in the Farahalana countryside in the district of Sambava, in the SAVA region of northeastern Madagascar. I am working on my Ph.D. at the Doctoral School of Life Engineering and Modeling (EDGVM) […]
Every year, we celebrate World Lemur Day in appreciation of the remarkable wildlife of Madagascar. The DLC and our partners in Madagascar collaborate in educational activities to raise awareness about lemurs and interest in environmental conservation. In November 2023, the DLC-SAVA Conservation program partnered with local actors to host a World Lemur Day celebration […]
For some people, the word “rainforest” conjures up vague notions of teeming jungles. But Camille DeSisto sees something more specific: a complex interdependent web. For the past few years, the Duke graduate student has been part of a community-driven study exploring the relationships between people, plants, and lemurs in a rainforest in northern Madagascar, where the health […]
Of all the animals on Earth, why are we so passionate about lemurs? Of all the islands in the ocean, why is Madagascar remarkable—and so worthy of our conservation attention? In the new “Why” issue of the DLC magazine, you’ll find out! Complimentary copies of the magazine have been mailed to donors of $250+ […]
By James Hererra, Ph.D. DLC-SAVA Conservation Coordinator Published March 8, 2024 March 8 is International Women’s Day, referred to as ‘Valo Mars’ in Madagascar. Women’s groups across the SAVA region celebrated Women’s Day with the DLC-SAVA Conservation project, supporting several local organizations that are working towards conserving the environment in Madagascar. Since 2019, the DLC-SAVA […]
Enjoy this video created by the DLC-SAVA Conservation team with Malagasy filmmaker Riccardo Morrelas, showcasing the lemurs of the SAVA region of northeastern Madagascar! The Duke Lemur Center partners with Malagasy scientists and local forest managers to study lemurs in remote rainforests. Researchers from CURSA, the university in the northeast region, are studying the […]
Saving lemurs from extinction is truly a global effort—one that starts right here at the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, NC! Follow NBC’s Dagmar Midcap, host of “Down to Earth,” in the first of this multipart series highlighting lemurs and the team of veterinarians, caretakers, scientists, and researchers fighting to save them.
