Q & A with Charles Welch
Charles Welch works to save lemurs for a living. As conservation coordinator for the Duke Lemur Center, Welch oversees the Center’s conservation efforts on the ground in the lemurs’ only natural habitat, Madagascar. He and his wife, Lemur Center Colony Manager and fellow conservationist Andrea Katz, began work there in 1987, living year-round in the island nation for 15 years starting in 1989. As partners with the Madagascar Fauna Group, a coalition dedicated to wildlife conservation in Madagascar, they developed the Parc Ivoloina, a project of the MFG that began as a holding facility for lemurs but has since expanded its efforts to include environmental education, sustainable agriculture, reforestation and capacity building for Malagasy people in many sectors of society. Welch also oversaw the first reintegration of captive-born lemurs into their natural habitat. Welch and Katz both received the National Order of Merit of Madagascar for their efforts.