Applied ecology

Land holds carbon in its soil, its biomass, its litter, its roots. Without measurement, it stays invisible. We quantified the carbon across a 3,000-hectare territory at 30×30m resolution: tracking four pools across every land use type and seasonal variation. Coupled with scenario modelling under the estate's specific conditions, the map becomes a decision tool, revealing where carbon accumulates, where it is lost, and how management interventions shift the balance.

Tens of thousands of tonnes of industrial waste are generated per year, sitting as a cost line and a disposal problem. Our research connected the client's waste streams to biogeochemical carbon cycle dynamics, identifying their potential to sequester carbon. A liability turned into a resource, with field trials underway.

Food culture is what stands between people and the crops that could feed them: if no one knows how to cook it, no one will grow it. We broke this cycle by designing a community kitchen framework integrated directly into the farm's ecosystem at Eco-Sud's ROC centre. Neglected, highly nutritious crops grown metres away are prepared and eaten on-site, training local women to run micro-food services from the farm's production. Our lifecycle analysis estimated the impact: an ultra-short chain delivering meals at 0.79 kg CO₂ each, against a global average of 2.3.

Growing organic at commercial scale requires a different kind of agronomy. We designed and are developing a 10-arpent mixed agroforestry system: three production layers, over 50 edible species, on-site composting, and zero synthetic inputs. The system supports a regional hospitality network, supplying several estate restaurants with hundreds of meals per day. The menus follow the harvest, not the other way around.

Biological contamination in industrial settings is driven by organism-level dynamics not captured by process engineering alone. We identified contaminating organisms and the conditions driving their development, designed targeted protocols, reduced contamination risks, and trained operational teams directly on production lines. We also designed production systems for biological products (biostimulants and fermented foods) where fermentation and biological processes replace synthetic chemistry.

Pioneer of the tea industry in Mauritius. Working with over 200 small planters in the highlands, one factory in Curepipe. An institution that had never shown what makes it distinct. We studied the business and its heritage, and translated that understanding into the products, identity, and direction of La Maison Corson.

At Eco-Sud's ROC centre in Ville-Noire, we designed the agroecological system that Eco-Sud built: crops selected for nutrition and adaptation, and composting systems processing neighbourhood green waste. Operating on a soil-to-plate model for five consecutive years, the 1,500 m² footprint produces 2 tonnes of vegetables and 200 kg of herbs annually. People learn here, they grow at home.

Land can be designed with far greater precision when the site is read first: contour, rainfall, water flow, soil, climate, and existing vegetation. We integrate ecological knowledge, agronomy, and soil science into landscape design, translating site conditions into productive systems that work with them. Agroforest corridors, bio-intensive production zones, retention ponds, native plantings, and long-term management plans designed to hold with minimal inputs.

The chain between what people want to eat and what growers produce is often the most destructive part of a food system. We reduced it to its minimum: an ecological potager based on in-situ composting, biological pest management, and nutrient-cycling species, connected directly to a fine dining kitchen with no intermediary. Chefs cook the harvest. That constraint forces seasonal cuisine and puts species on plates the market would not normally carry.

Working with ten grassroots NGOs supporting at-risk communities in Mauritius, we linked meteorological data and modelling to on-the-ground realities when cyclones or heavy rain hit: centres closing, food distribution disrupted for weeks, counselling demand spiking in the aftermath. This work reframes risk from event occurrence to system-level disruption across essential services.

Mauritian soils have been losing organic matter for decades under mineral-only fertilisation. A poultry producer approached us with an annual waste stream of tens of thousands of tonnes that was largely distributed raw. We characterised the streams, evaluated processing routes, and are designing a system that converts this byproduct into a stabilised organic fertiliser, restoring the soil organic matter that decades of mineral-only farming have stripped.

Mauritian plants (endemic, native, and naturalised) carry bioactive compounds used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. We mapped the island's botanical resources systematically, evaluating efficacy, R&D potential, and differentiation through origin and cultural context. This analysis connected botanical data directly to growers and producers, establishing sourcing pathways from field to formulation.

The wetlands that serve as natural infrastructure for water purification and nutrient cycling are disappearing. We design living water systems that restore those functions, and supervise their construction: native species treat greywater biologically, low-energy natural pools integrate water management into landscape contours and agricultural designs. These systems treat water, create habitat, and regenerate the landscapes they occupy.

Imported products dominate the Mauritian infusion market, frequently relying on added aromas and commodity-grade blends, while the island grows plants with unique flavours and functional benefits that remained untapped. We surveyed the ethnobotanical landscape, identified infusion potential, and formulated organic blends from fair trade and organically grown ingredients, now sold as Planty.

Experimental garden, soil and food systems, constructed wetland, solar energy, dry toilets, and a bamboo-built workspace. One site integrating agriculture, water, energy, construction, and carbon into a functioning system. Continuously developed, tested, monitored, and refined. Staying connected to how natural systems change is what keeps ecological work grounded.

Most ESG starts with a reporting framework. We began by measuring how materials, energy, water, and waste actually flow through the organisation. These flows were benchmarked against competitors and aligned with the regulatory landscape, including Mauritius's Environment Act 2024, to build a strategy grounded in changes the business can realistically implement.

Agricultural practices in Mauritius depend on chemical inputs that degrade soil function, water quality, and biodiversity. Transition is constrained across growers, input suppliers, and consumers. We built agricultural databases for the Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture, analysed field practices using advanced data science integrated with ecological knowledge, and demonstrated the high risk of 29 pesticides in current use. We structured transition around what growers can realistically change.

Mauritius holds an Exclusive Economic Zone of 2.3 million km². We assessed the state of the island's marine conservation using literature-based threat identification and scoring, surveys across NGOs active in marine conservation, and evaluation of existing policies and marine protected areas. Commissioned by the Mauritius Marine Conservation Society, the work was then used to produce four costed strategic directions and to animate a roundtable on the future of marine conservation in Mauritius.