The Biodiversity and Tropical Terrestrial Ecosystems (BEST-T) track within the Master's program in Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution (BEE) aims to train students capable of conducting fundamental or applied research, expert assessments, or environmental evaluations in the fields of ecology and natural or cultivated terrestrial tropical biodiversity. The program combines various teaching approaches: traditional academic courses, applied field studies and supervised projects, as well as an international component with a semester of courses taught in English.

Educational goals :

The educational objective is to provide a solid theoretical foundation in ecology and evolutionary biology, with a specialization in the study of tropical terrestrial biodiversity (agro- and ecosystems), and to develop key international skills through a semester of courses taught in English. Numerous field trips (Réunion Island and Madagascar), cross-disciplinary project-based approaches, and the implementation of communication initiatives allow for the development of more practical skills. Understanding the mechanisms governing the dynamics of terrestrial biodiversity enables applications in expertise in tropical terrestrial ecology, the biology and genetics of conservation and management of biological invasions, and the protection of cultivated plants.

Training opportunities:

The BEST-T program, launched in 2015, is specifically designed to address the challenges and issues of biodiversity, ecology and evolution in a tropical context, capitalizing on the particularities of Reunion Island (Qualitropic label) and opening up to the Indian Ocean area.
The BEST-T Master's program adopts an interdisciplinary approach, focusing on natural and cultivated terrestrial ecosystems and offering courses that open up to the humanities and social sciences, which are central to conservation issues. The program emphasizes the acquisition of practical skills, particularly through fieldwork and research projects, reflecting the University of Reunion Island's commitment to providing training grounded in real-world experience and local challenges. This program benefits from collaborations with local and international institutions (Erasmus Mundus Tropimundo), fostering the exchange of expertise and strengthening the program's regional and international character, in line with the institution's ambitions. The inclusion of a full semester (250 hours) of courses taught in English complies with the 2014 Master's degree regulations and the University of Reunion Island's New 2026-2030 Academic Program requirements regarding the internationalization of its courses.

This Master's program continually strives to remain strongly focused on the needs of the local area, both to meet the needs of the population and to preserve its environment. Research plays a crucial role in the implementation of this Master's program; the research areas of the Joint Research Unit (UMR) Plant Populations and Bioaggressors in Tropical Environments (PVBMT), the supporting laboratory for the BEST-T track, have enabled the development and integration of the program within the local, regional, national, and international landscape.

This Master's program trains students in research (fundamental or applied) to foster scientific inquiry by drawing on the challenges of the territory and region of the Southwest Indian Ocean. Annual advisory boards, which include professionals from the field, ensure continuity in this approach. Similarly, a network of professionals actively supports the program, including lecturers and internship supervisors from government agencies, companies, consulting firms, associations, and other organizations in the field of natural terrestrial environments.

At the national level, with the Master in Tropical Ecology (ECOTROP) in the Antilles, this master's program is one of the few specialized master's programs in ecology and tropical biodiversity that is entirely based in a tropical zone.

A major advantage of the BEST-T program is its shared coursework in semester 2 (S2) with the international Erasmus Mundus TROPIMUNDO Master's program. Within this framework, all courses in semester 2 of the first year of the Master's program (M1) are taught entirely in English, thus offering internationalization "at home".

Numerous educational innovations enhance its appeal:

● A field school is offered (M1) and takes place both in Réunion (1 week, tropical botany) and in the Indian Ocean area, generally in Madagascar (2 weeks,
tropical forest ecology)

● Various cross-disciplinary research projects involving independent work are carried out each year: population genomic analysis project in M2, cross-disciplinary teaching-research project PlantRunDNA (field and laboratory) in M1…

● A one-week seminar (immersion course), common to the BEST-T and BEST-ALI courses, is offered in M1.

Professionalization:

● Numerous field trips and studies in M1 and Master 2 (M2) (discovery of the environments of Reunion, tropical epidemiology, agroecology, terrestrial ecology, conservation, ecological restoration…).

● Co-organisation logistical and scientific of an annual seminar (Gecobio) with the National Park of Reunion Island and presentation of posters (M2).

● Creation, production and presentation of workshops during the Science Festival (M2).

● Participation of external professional speakers (consulting firms, public or private organizations, associations in particular), (80 hours out of the 750 of the Master), in academic teaching in M1 and M2 or during a dedicated module in M1 (discovery of the professional world).

● UMR PVBMT doctoral students' day for M2 students, presenting their work and the procedures for continuing their doctoral studies.

● Internships of thirty-nine days in M1 (3 ects) and six months in M2 (30 ects).

Total hours worked: 750 hours

M1: 500 hours

M2: 250 hours

The BEST-T training aims to understand the processes responsible for the dynamics of biodiversity in tropical terrestrial environments (ecosystems and agrosystems) in order to propose appropriate conservation and protection measures.

The training is carried out both by classical academic approaches offering a solid theoretical background and by practical teachings of fundamental or applied scope delivered in the field, within the National Park of Reunion (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)) and in the region (Madagascar), or in agricultural settings, in the field or on the experimental sites and laboratories of the Plant Protection Center.

The teaching method relies heavily on personal work, analysis, and critical thinking among students, through interactive courses, or analysis of data collected in the field or in the laboratory, or from articles based on experimental results.

The topics covered include island ecology, tropical forest ecology, tropical botany and molecular systematics, population biology, the dynamics of biological invasions, the epidemiology of tropical diseases (One Health), ecological restoration, agroecology, conservation biology and genetics, the study of biotic interactions, macroecology, and biogeography, among others. A solid foundation is also provided in statistics, modeling, spatial analysis, and ecoinformatics. Dedicated modules allow students to gain a good understanding of the professional world relevant to their studies.

The first semester offers a foundation of fundamental knowledge focused on the terrestrial environment.
The second semester of internationalization offers specialized courses in English in conjunction with the TROPIMUNDO program, including a Field School in Réunion and Madagascar. A two-month internship (research or professional) completes the learning experience.

Semester 3 offers a multidisciplinary approach, focusing particularly on skills in the conservation and protection of natural and cultivated ecosystems, and in scientific communication. Semester 4 is dedicated to a six-month internship in a research (academic or applied) or professional setting.

The skills acquired during this training are in line with those of the RNCP record

Skills specific to the training:

In terms of skills, our recent graduates are capable, upon completion of their training, of leading a professional project from conception to completion, including its dissemination and associated communication. They can conduct a literature review and perform a state-of-the-art analysis on a given topic, formulate a research question, a problem statement, or a hypothesis, develop an experimental protocol and implement it in the field or laboratory, acquire, organize, analyze, and interpret data, and finally discuss the results obtained to address the problem statement or test the hypothesis. They can write a scientific report and present it orally to an expert audience or the general public. They can apply and develop these professional skills in both academic research contexts and more applied roles, such as in consulting firms or organizations responsible for the enhancement, conservation, or management of natural or cultivated terrestrial biodiversity.

In addition to the 750 hours of student instruction, there are extra hours outside the curriculum with supervised projects, such as:

● PlantRunDNA Project (10 hours of molecular manipulations in the laboratory) (M1, semester 1)
● Gecobio Seminar (organization of a seminar day) (M2, semester 3)
● Science Festival (organization of stands for a day of scientific activities) (M2,
semester 3)
● Doctoral students' day at the UMR PVBMT (participation 1 day) (M2, semester 3)

Students are encouraged to attend the scientific presentations of the Plant Protection Unit and the Bioecotrop seminars of the UFR ST via videoconference (every week).

The duration of the internships is 2 months in M1 (semester 2) and 6 months in M2 (semester 4)

Registration fees are set annually by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space and are available on our institution's website: Register at the University of Reunion

• Possessing Bachelor's level skills in the proper application of biological models, in the use of analytical tools, and in the mastery of concepts related to the ecological and biological study of organisms and populations,
• Having excellent academic results, particularly in the core subjects of the BEE specialization: ecology, animal and plant biology (organismal biology), statistics, evolutionary biology and genetics
• Have a good command of spoken and written English (expression and comprehension) (one entire semester of classes is taught in English).
• Possess good oral comprehension and good scientific writing skills in French
• To be autonomous, committed and rigorous; to know how to work in a team
• Demonstrate strong motivation and consistency between the candidate's academic project and the training requested.
• Demonstrate how your experiences (e.g., internships or jobs) or commitments (e.g., volunteer work or naturalist activities) are relevant to the program you are applying for. Any prior experience in ecology and strong fieldwork skills should be highlighted.

• Particular attention will be paid to the existence of skills in the essential prerequisite fundamental subjects: ecology, animal and plant biology, statistics, evolutionary biology, genetics.
• Overall average >12/20 in semester 5 or the last semester for which information is available. No core subject below 10/20
• Minimum level B2
• For students whose first language is not French, a minimum C1 level is expected.
• Any annual performance reviews of the candidate by their professors or supervisors will be an asset.
• A letter of application and motivation accompanied by a Curriculum vitae (CV) describing the student's skills and project, and demonstrating a strong coherence with the requested training is expected.
• The CV and cover letter will allow the candidate to highlight any commitments or experiences that may be an asset.

Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences

Depending on the student's situation, applications for admission to the first year of the Master's program (M1) follow three specific procedures (the national platform MonMaster, Études en France, Validation of Acquired Experience). For more information, please consult the university's student services page. Enroll in the first year of a Master's program

Students holding the M1 BEST-T program are automatically admitted to the M2 BEST-T program. Vacancies in the M2 BEST-T program are open for recruitment via the local UR ecandidat platform or via Etudes en France for international students eligible for this program.

Baccalaureate + 3 or equivalent

The target audience is mainly from Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences or equivalent (Bachelor of Science in Ecological and Societal Transition Sciences, Engineering Schools, University Bachelor of Technology 3 (BUT3) Biological Engineering SEE track environmental sciences and ecotechnologies, ENS…), or M1.
We primarily recruit nationally and locally. International students, particularly from developing countries (focusing on countries in the Indian Ocean region), are also accepted if they have obtained the necessary degrees and meet the prerequisites. (Admission to the second year of the Master's program is possible through the University of Rennes' Horizon Excellence Scholarship program). The Master's program also offers a limited number of places open to international students (outside the Indian Ocean region) through the ERASMUS exchange program.

14 seats

The admission dates for the first year of the Master's degree (M1) are set nationally each year and are available on the platform. My Master

For admission to the second year of the Master's program (M2), the schedule is determined by the institution. It is available on the student services page of the university website: Students re-registering

For the years 2020-2021, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 the success rates were 100% in M1 (40 students /40 enrolled) and 97,4% at the diploma in M2 (38 students /39 enrolled).

The survey carried out by the UFR SHE in 2024 on the 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 cohorts (response rate of 51%, 20 respondents out of 39) shows a professional integration rate of 90% (65% in employment and 25% continuing their studies, 10% of students are looking for employment).

65% of students are employed, with 80% job satisfaction:

•  46% on full-time fixed-term contracts, 7,6% on part-time fixed-term contracts, 7,6% on 2-year VSC contracts followed by fixed-term contracts.
  15,4% on permanent full-time contracts, 23% on voluntary service contracts
• 50% in the civil service, 30% in associations, 10% in local authorities
  territorial, 10% in private companies
• They are based 38,5% in mainland France, 5% in French Guiana, 46,1% in Réunion and
  5% in Mauritius

The survey carried out by the UFR Sciences de l'Homme et de l'Environnement (SHE) in 2024 on the 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 cohorts (response rate of 51%, 20 respondents out of 39) shows a professional integration rate of 90% (65% in employment and 25% continuing their studies, 10% of students are looking for employment).

25% of students are continuing their studies, all at the doctoral level: 3 students are doing their thesis at UMR (joint research unit) PVBMT (University of Reunion Island), 1 at UMR AMAP (Botany and modeling of plant and vegetation architecture (University of Montpellier), and 1 at the University of the Azores.

The sectors of activity and types of employment targeted by this training correspond to those listed in the RNCP record 

The BEST-T program provides access to engineering-level jobs in the fields of environmental expertise, expertise in terrestrial tropical ecology and biodiversity, expertise in tropical agronomy, pest control, biological invasion management, genetic resource management… in consulting firms, local authorities, organizations managing protected areas (Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Institutions), public institutes or national research centers, private companies, associations… Young graduates can also work in the field of scientific communication, environmental awareness and training.

After a doctorate: research or research and development, higher education, in one of the fields mentioned above.