Natural History Collective Ventures
"By neglecting our garden, we are storing up for ourselves, in the not very distant future, a world catastrophe as bad as any atomic war, and we are doing it with all the bland complacency of an idiot child chopping up a Rembrandt with a pair of scissors."
Gerald Durrell
The idea of a collective is to benefit our staff and associates strictly according to their individual input in a project. This allows for quality, yet cost effective consultation for our clients. Our participating specialists and staff are all seasoned veterans of their respective fields. As a business however, we're brand new and in a state of expansion as we gather our own expertise, and that of trusted others, to put it all to excellent use within the zoological community. We are a conservation and ethically driven collective, compromising at nothing when it comes to animal welfare and environmentally responsible best practices.
Why NHCV?
We provide contributions in three main fields, namely: in situ herpetological research; husbandry and the care and exhibition of captive animals; static natural history exhibition (Museums and non-living exhibits). We stand for creative problem solving, practical solutions, efficient work and that rare old secret, hard work! With this, NHCV produces a level of excellence seldom achieved and often not even sought after by many consultancies. Our scope of work in consulting is focused primarily on herpetology and aquatics, thus providing highly detailed, nuanced and relevant projects and services. Client confidentiality and intellectual copyright of material is agreed upon and guaranteed.
In Situ Fieldwork (Middle East & North Africa)
Tired of Generic Field Consultants Producing Generic Work?
So Are We!
'Desktop Surveys', and indeed 'Desktop Consultants' are commonplace in the corporate environmental consulting world, and they give the rest of us a bad name. Regrettably, this practice often results in large volumes of nearly useless information by non-specialized personnel. Auditors may accept this, but it neither enlightens the client, nor does it benefit potentially endangered wildlife in the region being surveyed. NHCV will happily refuse work if it falls outside of its area of expertise! Our fieldwork focusses primarily on the arid regions of North Africa and the Middle East and here we can give informed and accurate reports and findings at a highly efficient rate. Our members have performed surveys throughout the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East over decades and can individually be considered authorities in their fields.
Zoo & Aquarium Consulting, Design & Fabrication
The Mock Rock Syndrome
Zoos and aquariums have their own issues to contend with regarding consultants. Very often enclosures are designed in such a generic way as to be only slightly suitable for any given species. Conversely, an enclosure might be so tailor-made for a species that the facility in question has no option of replacing that species at a later date. Keeper access is often compromised for cosmetic purposes, and cosmetics are often compromised because of a lack of imagination and foresight. In lower vertebrates, environmental stimulation is often completely overlooked. We've taken lower vertebrate husbandry and welfare to a science, and then dragged it, kicking and screaming, through the principles of art and design and overall customer experience, to create perfectly balanced, beautiful exhibits. Believe it or not, bare walls do not have to be completely plastered in fake-looking concrete rocks! We actively promote UV lighting and bioactive systems for all species. In addition NHCV ensures that all other elements of life support are completely functional, serviceable, adjustable, economical and of the highest quality. From site-visits to conceptual art, CAD rendering, fabrication and overseeing construction, we're willing to go the whole journey to ensure exhibits and husbandry units are world class.
Artwork & Graphics
Technical illustration, fine art and many forms of graphics are rendered in a wide assortment of media. Commissions for series of work, such as field guides or zoo graphic panels, are happily performed at discounted rates. Other art available includes signed and numbered prints, original paintings and publishable illustration. We're looking to get more artists on board to diversify our range.
Replicas, Merchandise and Miscellaneous Products
NHCV is currently developing and manufacturing a small range of specialized products, such as reptile-restraining tools and museum reproductions. Watch this space as our line of goodies blossoms! These will include tee-shirts, repicas, snake tongs and more. It'll take some time, as we have to be happy using a product for its intended purpose before we expect anyone else to purchase it.