Written by Camille DeSisto, Ph.D. candidate at the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment. Originally published in LEMURS Magazine: The “Where” Issue in February 2025. Ecologists study the relationships between living things, including humans, and their environment. By studying the complex ways that plants and animals are connected to each other and the world around […]
For many in Madagascar, the new year brings many opportunities for landscape restoration. January is usually a perfect time because the rainy season has begun, providing natural irrigation for the trees. All over the island, different partners and organizations host big reforestation events, sometimes with thousands of people planting tens of thousands of trees. At […]
Who would have thought that a small collection of mixed primates brought to Duke Forest in 1966 would grow into a global force in lemur care, research, and conservation? In LEMURS Magazine: The “Where” Issue, we highlight the work we do around the globe, from North Carolina to Madagascar and everywhere in between!
Happy International Women’s Day! By James Herrera, Ph.D., DLC-SAVA Conservation Coordinator. Published on March 8, 2025. On this International Women’s Day, we’re pleased to highlight the amazing women in Madagascar who work tirelessly to ensure food security for their families. DLC-SAVA Conservation is honored to work with networks of women farmers who are doing amazing […]
After planting thousands of trees and helping thousands of people while overseeing the Lemur Center’s conservation programs in Madagascar for 35 years, Charlie is retiring in 2025. By Robin Smith, Ph.D., Senior Science Writer, Duke University. Published February 2025 in the LEMURS Magazine: The “Where” Issue. When conservation expert Charlie Welch introduces people to Madagascar, […]
Written and Illustrated by Talia Felgenhauer, 2023-24 Undergraduate Fellow in Communications. Originally published in LEMURS Magazine: The “Why” Issue in February 2024. Madagascar is an island like no other. Located hundreds of miles off the southeastern coast of Africa, Madagascar has been isolated for more than 80 million years, changing and evolving independently from the […]
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) […]