The Marat Karpeka Lemur Foundation (MKLF), commonly known as the Lemur Fund, is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) working to prevent the extinction of lemurs in Madagascar. The foundation was established in memory of Marat Karpeka, a primatologist who worked in Madagascar, and is led by primatologist Dr. Russell Mittermeier.
MKLF’s work is community-based: it funds reforestation of priority lemur habitat, supports the development of community-led ecotourism, builds schools and integrates environmental education into local curricula, and provides clean water access in remote villages so that community labor can be redirected toward conservation. Active project sites include Mount Vatovavy, Kianjavato, Montagne des Français, and the Grewcock Ihofa Vohitsara Bioreserve, where a new field station was completed in 2024.
The foundation partners with the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership, AEECL, Bristol Zoo, and Re:wild, and is a member of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group. The Lemur Fund’s annual World Lemur Day, observed on the last Friday of October, has become a global awareness moment for the world’s most threatened mammal group.
