Presidential Recognition, Well Deserved

Last month, at the Malagasy Presidential Palace, Dr. Lily-Arison René de Roland received a national certificate of recognition from the President of Madagascar—a moment witnessed by the highest authorities of the Malagasy Government, including the Prime Minister and heads of ministries. The President conveyed that he was very proud of Lily and The Peregrine Fund's work on behalf of Madagascar’s people and biodiversity.

It would be easy to frame this as simply the latest in a growing collection of honors for The Peregrine Fund’s Madagascar Program Director—coming just months after he won the 2025 Indianapolis Prize, widely regarded as the Nobel Prize of conservation. But to see this presidential recognition as merely another accolade would miss its deeper significance. This is a nation acknowledging that one of its own has fundamentally changed what conservation looks like in Madagascar and, by extension, around the world.

What makes Lily exceptional is not just what he has accomplished but how he has invested in the people who will carry this work forward. He has spent years mentoring the next generation of Malagasy conservationists, building local capacity so that the future of Madagascar’s biodiversity does not rest on any one person’s shoulders. His commitment to developing future leaders ensures that the conservation infrastructure he has built will endure long after the ceremony ends.

When the President of Madagascar stands before his government and expresses pride in a conservationist, it signals something profound: that a nation values not just its natural heritage but the people devoted to safeguarding it. Lily’s response, characteristically humble, was simply that he will “continue to do the best for our project.” That quiet resolve is what has always set him apart. The recognition is deserved. The work continues.