Conservation of forests and wildlife in the rain-swept, biodiverse western ghats is a national priority. Although these mountainous forests have been depleted owing largely to clear felling and conversion to plantations in colonial times, the remaining 15 per cent designated as protected areas host a grand assemblage of plant and animal species. Remarkably, even private agricultural plantations in the ghats have well-preserved forest fragments stretching across several hectares. These, in fact, are a major trove of trees and rare animals. Such resplendent islands of life in a sea of tea and coffee monoculture are viable sites for conservation and restoration. What they need is policy support. Evidence underscoring the conservation potential of the fragments located in the 220 square kilometre Valparai plateau of the Anamalais is strong. Degraded land in the estates of this region has been restored through a research-based protocol. It is noteworthy that the healthy stands of endemic trees and the restoration sites managed by scientists owe their existence to active support from private plantations. Formal agreements between the Mysore-based Nature Conservation Foundation and corporate entities such as Tata Coffee and Parry Agro have enabled research teams to execute a successful restoration plan on estate lands