Posted September 8, 2025.
After nearly 40 years of dedicated service to conservation in Madagascar, Charlie Welch has retired from his role as Conservation Coordinator at the Duke Lemur Center. While Charlie will be deeply missed, we are thrilled to announce that Dr. James Herrera has accepted the position of Director of Conservation!
James is an exceptional choice to carry forward Charlie’s legacy. With a deep commitment to conservation and a wealth of experience, he is uniquely positioned to expand the impact of our work in Madagascar and beyond.
James previously served as the Duke Lemur Center’s SAVA Program Coordinator, based in the SAVA region of Madagascar, where he led a range of conservation initiatives. In his new role, he will split his time between Durham, NC, and Madagascar, continuing to lead our dedicated team on the ground in Madagascar—including Project Coordinator Lanto Andrianandrasana, who remains based in the SAVA region. James also holds an adjunct professorship with Duke University’s Global Health Initiative.
James earned his Ph.D. from Stony Brook University in 2015 and has held postdoctoral positions at Duke University’s Department of Evolutionary Anthropology and the American Museum of Natural History. His academic and professional interests span conservation, sustainability, biodiversity, and primatology—with a special focus on Madagascar.
As Conservation Director, James will continue to guide the DLC-SAVA Conservation Program, which works to improve livelihoods and promote ecosystem conservation through a variety of initiatives:
Environmental education – Visiting rural schools to teach environmental awareness and organizing field trips to parks and gardens
Reforestation and restoration – Partnering with local communities to plant trees that support habitat restoration and agroforestry
Regenerative agriculture training – Promoting crop diversification and sustainable farming practices, including animal husbandry
Biodiversity and human health – Leading transdisciplinary research and development projects spanning wildlife ecology, infectious and noninfectious diseases, socioeconomics, and natural resource management
Women’s reproductive health – Collaborating with Madagascar’s Ministry of Public Health to support women’s health initiatives
We are excited to welcome James into this new role and look forward to the continued growth and success of our conservation efforts under his leadership!
Learn More about James
List of Publications: https://herrerajamesp.weebly.com/publications.html
Selected posts to learn more about his work:
Landscape Restoration 2025: New Year, New Objectives
https://lemur.duke.edu/landscape-restoration/
Celebrating International Women’s Day in Madagascar
https://lemur.duke.edu/international-womens-day-2025/
Could Restoring Forests Reduce Disease Risk? A Case Study of Hantavirus in Madagascar
https://researchblog.duke.edu/2025/04/08/forests-and-disease-risk-hantavirus-in-madagascar/
Some Primates Are More Susceptible to Parasites Than Others. Researchers Are Using New Methods to Find Out Why
https://researchblog.duke.edu/2023/01/30/what-makes-some-primates-more-susceptible-to-parasites-than-others/
Predicting What Extinctions Could Mean for Lemurs and the Forests They Call Home
https://researchblog.duke.edu/2022/08/31/predicting-what-extinctions-could-mean-for-lemurs-and-the-forests-they-call-home/
What are the links among agriculture, socioeconomics, and food security in the SAVA region of Madagascar?
https://lemur.duke.edu/agriculture-socioeconomics-and-food-security/
Video Library: DLC-SAVA Conservation
https://lemur.duke.edu/protect/sava-conservation/sava-videos/
Annual Newsletters: DLC-SAVA Conservation
https://lemur.duke.edu/protect/sava-conservation/sava-newsletter/
