Shade coffee agroforests as native plant sources for restoration

Abstract Tropical agroforestry systems such as shade coffee are recognised as important refuges for biodiversity in human‐modified landscapes. In these systems, many conservation initiatives aiming to sustain biodiversity against the trend of intensifying agroforestry management focus on promoting biodiverse tree overstories but engage less with conservation opportunities and challenges associated with agroforest understories. In coffee agroforests with native shade trees, weeding of natural regeneration constitutes lost conservation opportunities. We explore the potential for reducing such losses by rescuing native tree seeds and naturally regenerating seedlings from coffee agroforests and developing local native plant nurseries, which are a critical bottleneck for restoration. For this, we draw on floristic surveys using 42 0.3 ha plots in eight polyculture shade coffee agroforests and collaborative pilot rescue, nursery development and restoration initiatives in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India. Ninety restoration‐relevant native tree species (inferred from species distributions, traits and practitioner knowledge) constituted 37% of all trees recorded in coffee agroforests. The species list included 30 conservation‐priority species (endemic to the Western Ghats and/or classified as threatened or near‐threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature), most of which were not stocked in existing public nurseries. Experiences from pilot rescue efforts, which collected over 18,000 seeds and seedlings spanning 56 restoration‐relevant species in 12 months, underscore the importance of efficient rescue planning focussed on mapping target trees and monitoring phenology, fostering partnerships with agroforest landowners to enhance rescue opportunities and developing nursery infrastructure to house rescued plants and support local restoration efforts. Synthesis and applications . Shade coffee agroforests can contribute to conservation beyond their boundaries as sources of native plants that can help expand and diversify local nurseries and scale up restoration, while alleviating the need to exploit remnant natural forests as plant sources for nurseries and restoration. Harnessing this opportunity requires the development of strategies and partnerships for integrating native plant sourcing, nursery and restoration efforts, backed by policies and initiatives that promote landscape‐level benefits of agroforestry for biodiversity and conservation.