By Marie Claire Chelini and Owen Covington, Trinity Communications, with additional reporting by Robin Smith, Ph.D. Posted June 11, 2026. Peter Klopfer, professor emeritus of Biology, civil rights activist and co-founder of the Duke Lemur Center, died on June 5 at the age of 95. He is survived by his wife, Martha, and their three daughters. Peter […]
Podcast In “A Creature That Has a Superpower” (Winter 2026), we discuss a truly incredible little lemur with evolutionary superpowers: the fat-tailed dwarf lemur! Dwarf lemurs are the only members of our primate family tree that are obligate hibernators. Tune in for a crash course in what makes these hibernating primates so fascinating and how […]
We’ve given the DLC-SAVA Conservation annual newsletter a fresh coat of paint! Our newest issue is brighter, fresher, and eminently scrollable. Check out the redesign and join us in celebrating everything we’ve achieved together in northeastern Madagascar in 2025! Posted May 26, 2026.
Restoring forests requires multi-dimensional research and planning to optimize success. The Duke Lemur Center is part of an international consortium of researchers and conservations who are studying forest restoration in Madagascar and designing new and innovative ways to improve restoration outcomes. By studying ecology, social sciences, and policy, we will design guidelines and action plans […]
Landscape restoration is regenerating forests around the world, and is a pillar of the DLC-SAVA Conservation project in northeastern Madagascar. This short documentary, which features one of DLC-SAVA’s landscape restoration projects, was featured on the Malagasy national Sunday news. Media attention like this shows the broad interest in conservation and publicizes our efforts, and is […]
The DLC has received one of Duke’s highest faculty and staff honors: the 2025-2026 Presidential Award! The Presidential Awards program, organized by the Office of the President in partnership with Duke Human Resources, recognizes staff and faculty who best demonstrate the values that define and shape Duke as an institution. The awards recognize individuals and […]
By Matthew Burkhart, Communications and Education Assistant, Undergraduate, North Carolina State University. With Martin Kratt, Duke ‘89. Originally published in LEMURS Magazine: Reasons for Hope in February 2026. Few animals have inspired children and conservationists alike as profoundly as Jovian, the Coquerel’s sifaka who brought primate conservation into living rooms around the world as the […]
Posted March 9, 2026. In Madagascar and other low-income countries, charcoal and firewood are still the dominant cooking fuels. But traditional charcoal has major drawbacks: Producing traditional charcoal involves cutting trees, a significant cause of deforestation. For millions of women cooking daily meals for their families, exposure to smoke from dirty fuel causes respiratory disease. […]