Thinking like an ecosystem
We work with clients to listen and respond to their land with quantitative and qualitative data, bringing an ecosystem perspective to industrial and agricultural development and long-term management. Our focus is on increasing productivity and vitality by focusing on the ‘edges’ — the relationship between the land and the surrounding ecosystems — for multi-generational returns.
Return on Ecology is a team of experts who have all spent between one and five decades working at the interface between urban-and-agricultural development and conservation. We have noticed, over these decades, that our individual activities bring the highest returns with a cohesive approach.
Thinking like an ecosystem
We work with clients to listen and respond to their land with quantitative and qualitative data, bringing an ecosystem perspective to industrial and agricultural development and long-term management. Our focus is on increasing productivity and vitality by focusing on the ‘edges’ — the relationship between the land and the surrounding ecosystems — for multi-generational returns.
Return on Ecology is a team of experts who have all spent between one and five decades working at the interface between urban-and-agricultural development and conservation. We have noticed, over these decades, that our individual activities bring the highest returns with a cohesive approach.
OUR WORKING
Our keys to our success are our core values, positioned in response to current land management and developmental challenges.
These include:
Financial
Health
Caring for
Edges
Context
Legacy
On-the-ground
knowlegde transfer
Relational
Ecosystems
Knowledge
Ecosystems
What do we offer?
Propagation for Wetland Management
Propagation for Wetland Management
Advisory Team
Each expert associated with Return on Ecology is running their own business or employed in the industry, providing decades of technical expertise to each strategic project.
conservation & indigenous species
Shelly Fuller
Shelly has recently become an independent conservation consultant, after 16 years as the Sustainable Agriculture, Fruit and Wine Programme Manager for WWF South Africa.
Yvette Anderson
Yvette is a landscape architect, farmer, and soil restoration expert dedicated to healing land and soil through sustainable practices.
soil, crops & animals
Yvette Anderson
Yvette is a landscape architect, farmer, and soil restoration expert dedicated to healing land and soil through sustainable practices.
Bennie Diedericks
Bennie is the founder of Resalt. He has 30 years of practical experience in various fields within commercial agriculture.
John Scrimgeour
John is a helicopter pilot turned farmer. He managed Buffet Olive Farms for 25 years and served in various managerial positions within the SA Olive Growers Association.
Dr Pieter Raath
Pieter is soil scientist with extensive experience in citrus, wine and table grapes, working with Citrus Research International.
technical climate data
Dr Pieter Raath
Pieter is soil scientist with extensive experience in citrus, wine and table grapes. He is the director of LabServe Stellenbosch, a leading soil, water and crop quality laboratory.
Dr Tara Southey
Tara is a data specialist and the founder of TerraClim Forward Farming, providing climate and seasonal data to the agriculture sector.
Water & Waste management
Buks Schutte
Buks is a registered water and waste utilisation engineer and is the director
at Water & Wastes Utilisation Solutions (Pty) Ltd (WWUS).
Prof Gideon Wolfaardt
Gideon was the director of the Stellenbosch University Water Institute, and runs a research team developing sensors for detecting water and soil pollution, particularly endocrine disruptors and emerging contaminants of concern.
Dr Wendy Stone
Wendy has worked as an environmental consultant and project manager for over 10 years in water quality, soil remediation and waste management.
Economics, education & management
Prof Gideon Wolfaardt
Gideon was the director of the Stellenbosch University Water Institute, and runs a research team developing sensors for detecting water and soil pollution, particularly endocrine disruptors and emerging contaminants of concern.
Dr Wendy Stone
Wendy has worked as an environmental consultant and project manager for over 10 years in water quality, soil remediation and waste management.
Prof Leopoldt van Huyssteen
Leopoldt was the previous Dean of Agricultural Sciences and later the Chief Operations Officer (COO), Rector and Vice Chancellor of Stellenbosch University. He is currently involved in an Environmental Leadership Academy.
conservation & indigenous species
soil, crops & animals
Yvette Anderson
Yvette is a landscape architect, farmer, and soil restoration expert dedicated to healing land and soil through sustainable practices.
Bennie Diedericks
Bennie is the founder of Resalt. He has 30 years of practical experience in various fields within commercial agriculture.
John Scrimgeour
John is a helicopter pilot turned farmer. He managed Buffet Olive Farms for 25 years and served in various managerial positions within the SA Olive Growers Association.
Dr Pieter Raath
Pieter is soil scientist with extensive experience in citrus, wine and table grapes.
technical climate data
Dr Pieter Raath
Pieter is soil scientist with extensive experience in citrus, wine and table grapes.
Dr Tara Southey
Tara is a data specialist and the founder of TerraClim Forward Farming, providing climate and seasonal data to the agriculture sector.
Water & Waste management
Buks Schutte
Buks is a registered water utilisation engineer and is the director
at Water & Wastes Utilisation Solutions (Pty) Ltd (WWUS).
Prof Gideon Wolfaardt
Gideon was the director of the Stellenbosch University Water Institute.
Dr Wendy Stone
Wendy has worked as an environmental consultant and project manager for over 10 years in water quality, pollution and waste management.
Economics, education & management
Prof Gideon Wolfaardt
Gideon was the director of the Stellenbosch University Water Institute.
Dr Wendy Stone
Wendy has worked as an environmental consultant and project manager for over 10 years in water quality, pollution and waste management.
Prof Leopoldt van Huyssteen
Leopoldt was the previous Dean of Agricultural Sciences and later the Chief Operations Officer (COO), Rector and Vice Chancellor of Stellenbosch University.
Herding for soil preperation
Herding for soil preperation
Bring your story to our tableand let’s co-design your ecosystem strategies.
Bring your story toour table and let's co-designyour ecosystem strategies.
Wendy: +27 63 348 5727 or Bennie: +27 82 452 7263
Wendy: +27 63 348 5727 or
Bennie: +27 82 452 7263
Return on Ecology is a registered non-profit company, offering Section 18A tax receipts | CIPC Registration number K2025312852
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