As one of the world’s foremost experts on lemurs and a leading figure for conservation in Madagascar, Stony Brook University Distinguished Professor of Anthropology Patricia Wright has been named a Natural World Hero by the wildlife travel service, Natural World Safaris.
Professor Wright is best known for her study of social and family interactions of wild lemurs in Ranomafana National Park, a 106,000-acre World Heritage Site that she helped establish with the government of Madagascar. The park is home to many endangered species, including several species of lemur that she almost certainly saved from extinction.
Wright is founder of Centre ValBio, a world-class research station located on the edge of Ranomafana. Under her direction, Centre ValBio works to protect Madagascar’s unique and biologically diverse ecosystems through conservation science and projects that directly benefit the local people, including rural healthcare delivery.
Professor Wright has received numerous awards and honors for her research and conservation work, including the 2014 Indianapolis Prize for Animal Conservation and the Chevalier d’Ordre National (National Medal of Honour) and Officier d’Ordre National (National Order of Merit) from the President of Madagascar.
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