Our Staff

The only human occupants of Aride Island are the staff of Island Conservation Society, who possess a range of necessary skills including in conservation, logistics and boat handling.

Reserve Manager

Jude Brice

Jude Brice is a seasoned conservation and maritime operations professional with over 20 years of experience across Seychelles’ marine industries and protected areas. Now serving as Reserve Manager of Aride Island Special Reserve, he brings a proven track record in island management, logistics, and ecological stewardship built through roles in marine parks, private charter operations, and at Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Jude’s career began as a Ranger and Boatman with the Marine Park Authority, followed by skipper roles with Silhouette Cruises and Water World. At Aldabra, he became renowned for his deep knowledge of the atoll’s waters, having dived nearly its entire perimeter and for his leadership in search and rescue operations and navigating piracy threats. As Island Manager from 2016 to 2022, he oversaw infrastructure, energy systems, staff and visitor coordination, and conservation enforcement, while supporting scientific monitoring and leading major initiatives like the Aldabra Clean-Up Project (ACUP).
From 2022 to 2025, Jude served as Base Manager for VPM Bestsails, managing a fleet of charter yachts and leading technical, HR, and client service operations. His expertise spans photovoltaic systems, desalination plants, engine mechanics, and electrical troubleshooting, all skills essential for sustaining remote island life.
On Aride, Jude continues to foster a collaborative, safety-focused environment, empowering teams and supporting biodiversity monitoring. His dedication, resilience, and quiet excellence make him a vital guardian of Seychelles’ natural heritage and hope to be an inspiring figure in island conservation leadership with pride and integrity.

Conservation & Science Officer

Mersiah Rose

Mersiah Rose is a proud Seychellois with a heart rooted in nature and a mind wired for science. As Aride’s Conservation and Science Officer, she brings a rare blend of curiosity, creativity, and deep ecological knowledge to the island’s conservation efforts.
Growing up surrounded by the beauty of Seychelles, Mersiah always felt a pull towards the natural world. That passion has taken her across islands and ecosystems, from and forest trails, remote atolls and most recently freshwater rivers. Her work has ranged from biodiversity and long-term monitoring, GIS mapping and sustainability planning, Health and safety, sampling, species identification and data management, always with a focus on making science accessible and impactful.
Before joining Aride, Mersiah co-led freshwater conservation projects with Gaea Seychelles, managed sustainability programs at Constance Lemuria, and supported research at Aldabra Atoll. She’s trained students, guided tourists, and collaborated with NGOs and government teams, all while advocating for data sharing, citizen science, and cultural pride.
Fluent in English, French, and Creole (and conversant in Mandarin!), Mersiah is also a skilled communicator and creative spirit. Whether she’s crafting outreach materials, mentoring interns, or identifying rare fauna, she brings warmth, precision, and purpose to everything she does.
For Mersiah, conservation isn’t just a job—it’s a way of life. Her belief is simple: “To love nature, you must first understand it.” And on Aride, she’s helping others do just that.

Assistant Conservation Officer

Maria Daniella Aza

Hailing from Mauritius, Maria Daniella holds a Bsc in Biology. She is also a graduated fellow from the Charles R. Wall Conservation Leadership Management Fellowship (cohort 2023), with the African Wildlife Foundation, which included an internship at Ebony Forest in Mauritius. She has previously worked for over 2 years as a Passerine Conservation Biologist based on Ile aux Aigrettes with the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, where she was mainly involved in the monitoring of the Mauritius Fody and the Olive-White eye bird’s population.
She also worked as the Conservation Leader at Casela Nature Parks for more than 2 years, where she led education programs on biodiversity protection for school and tourists through guided tours and workshops, as well as developing capacity building for staff through training and mentorship programs.
Sharing her passion for unique wildlife has been something that she has always cherished. With her friends, she also developed an awareness campaign on biodiversity concepts via a Mountain Peak Challenge called ‘Rando dans LEO( les-hauts)’ and led several clean up campaigns as a member of the LEO Club.

Operations and Maintenance Officer

Jean-Claude Camille

ean Claude is a born and bred Seychellois from Anse Aux Pins. He has had a range of jobs including chef, mason and painter. His interest in conservation, especially with turtles, sparked a career shift towards conservation in 2008. Initially he gained experience in conservation on D’Arros island where he began as a volunteer with Dr Jeanne A. Mortimer. He later joined ICS as a Conservation Ranger and has worked on Farquhar, Aride, Silhouette and Desroches. He was promoted to the post of Senior Conservation Ranger at the beginning of 2021. Jean Claude is very hands on and a competent carpenter; this skill set is particularly useful for reconstructing skeletons, and examples can be seen at the Conservation Centres on Desroches and Silhouette. His favourite island is Desroches, in his own words “the island has everything; there are tortoises, turtles, plants, fish, coral and seagrass”. His favourite animal is the Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas).

Conservation Ranger

Steve Esther

Steve previously worked in the hospitality industry before starting work on excursion boats. In between this, he played football for a few years followed by fishing, before starting work on Aride as a gardener and general worker in 2021. In less than a year, he was promoted to Assistant Conservation Ranger and more recently, to Conservation Ranger/ Boatman. His hobbies include TV, football, fishing and reading. All in all, he feels this is one of the best jobs in the world.

Other staff

Conservation Ranger - Micheal Ah-Kong & Andy Victor
Asst. Conservation Ranger - Yudrah Oreddy
General assistant - Laurette Asba
Handyman - Stephann Antoine

Back To About Us