For over 40 years I have been studying the fauna of poorly known areas of the world and been actively involved in faunal surveys, the systematics of different groups of animals, and using these data for advancing conservation programs. The past nearly 30 years have been largely devoted to the bird and mammal faunas of Madagascar. During this period we have visited and inventoried hundreds of sites on the island, discovered and described a considerable number of taxa previously unknown to science, and used these data to coordinate and prioritize conservation actions. In recent years research programs have examined aspects wild animals as reservoirs for different zoonoses, impact of climate change on montane faunas, and detailed phylogeographic and phylogenetic studies of birds and small mammals of the island. Another important aspect of the work in Madagascar is the advancement of Malagasy field and conservation biologists.