Book excerpt: This book--a collaboration of the Garden's staff in Madagascar, Paris, and St. Louis--takes you inside the lives and work of the many dedicated individuals who make up our Madagascar Research and Conservation Program. The Garden has had a sustained research presence in Madagascar since the 1970s, and there are now over 150 local staff members associated with this program. Each one takes to heart the spirit of the five objectives of the United Nations' Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC): discovery, conservation, sustainable use, education, and capacity building, and their dedication--and that of their local community collaborators--provides the true strength of the program.