Dr. Rene de Roland-Courtesy-Franklin College
FRANKLIN, Ind. – Franklin College will host one of the few lectures scheduled across the state as part of the Indianapolis Prize Lecture Series presented by the Indianapolis Zoo on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m., in the Branigin Room of the Napolitan Student Center.
The lecture is titled “A Global Conversation with Indianapolis Prize Winner, Lily-Arison René de Roland, Ph.D.”
A renowned conservationist, René de Roland, is the Peregrine Fund’s national director of its Madagascar Program. He will share his journey from rediscovering species in Madagascar, thought to be extinct, to winning the Indianapolis Zoo’s Indianapolis Prize for his work.
His contribution to the discovery of a variety of species is substantial, including the rediscovery of the Madagascar pochard, a rare duck thought to be extinct since the 1990s, locating two previously undescribed lemur species in northern Madagascar, and, in 2022, leading a team to the rediscovery of the Dusky tetraka, a small songbird that had eluded ornithologists for 20 years.
René de Roland has led the creation of four national protected areas in Madagascar, totaling over 1,500 square miles, which encompass a range of ecosystems, including rainforests, dry forests, wetlands, mangroves, and savannahs.
Established by the Indianapolis Zoo in 2004, the Indianapolis Prize recognizes and rewards the world’s preeminent animal conservationists who have achieved major victories in advancing the sustainability of an animal species or group of species. Winners receive $250,000.
The lecture is free, but registration is appreciated at bit.ly/IndyPrize2025. Visit IndianapolisPrize.org to learn more about the Indianapolis Prize initiative and Dr. René de Roland.
