SKUA DEVELOPMENT
Make things the right way, not just the best way
BUILDING A NEW CONCEPT OF NATURE
SKUA Development is the division that deals with wilderness development in all related aspects, from direct construction of facilities to employee training. SKUA Development operates in all areas associated with SKUA Nature, from the Arctic in Norway to areas in southern Spain.
To operate in such a wide range of situations, the only applicable method is that of a specific study for each area, to which specific solutions for each need are then applied. In its work, the team is in close contact with the natural areas and the animals that live there throughout the year. As a result, staff have a basic work ethic of minimizing disturbance to wildlife species and promoting their protection as much as possible.
To achieve this, work is organized to respect seasonal cycles as much as possible, solutions with minimal environmental impact are preferred, and the used tools are battery-powered which allow to work with low noise emissions.
The team working on this project is composed of people with different technical, photographic and scientific experience and skills. This creates a team of professionals who are familiar with all the aspects we can work with and who share a passion for nature
Concept & Design
The most difficult part of project planning is in the places we have to work. A photo hide is not like a house, it is certainly a simpler structure, but the places where they are often placed, and especially the right compromise between camouflage or low visibility, comfort, and the ability to get wildlife close enough to give users a unique experience, are anything but easy.
We work with architects and surveyors in the various countries where we operate to research the most appropriate materials, calculate dimensions, load-bearing capacity and buoyancy, and then create the initial drawings and renderings with which we begin to visualize the finished product. Over the years we have gained a lot of technical experience, from the Arctic to the tropical jungles of Central America, from the forests of the Mediterranean to the ecosystems of India.
It is not difficult to set up a photo hide or wildlife observation point. You can find numerous examples on the Internet with a variety of photos and technical basics to consider. One of the differences that make our work unique is the in-depth knowledge, not only of the technical skills that allow us to build different types of facilities, but also of the ecological dynamics that regulate wildlife movement and behavior. Our work is not limited to building a hide, but mainly to finding the best crossing points for wildlife and restoring small or large habitats to facilitate the stopover of migratory birds.
Thanks to our qualified and highly experienced team, we are able to work in all imaginable conditions, always finding the best technical solutions to carry out the work with minimum impact on the environment and at the same time with high efficiency. The best logistic solutions for a fast work and an optimization of the costs are guaranteed. In desert areas, in wetlands, in dense forests or highly anthropogenic areas, we always work with outstanding expertise and commitment, using all the necessary means to get the job done correctly.
Thanks to our expertise in materials, technologies, equipment and devices, we are able to create very detailed preliminary work plans and then perform extremely precise interventions without wasting materials, time or energy.
Construction & Development
CONSTRUCTION OF VISITOR CENTERS
The division designs and builds visitor centers to bring people closer to nature by creating and exploring ways to approach wildlife through photography in specific settings and activi – ties for youth and adults. In general, it promotes the reuse of abandoned structures for restoration to show that nature is a tool for the local economy.
The Wild Arctic office in Vardø aims to raise awareness among locals and tourists about whale watching opportunities and respect for whales and marine life.
DEVELOPMENT OF PHOTO HIDES AND OBSERVATION STATIONS
Thanks to a team that has been working in this field for years, we deal with the study for the construction of photo hides and observation stations in any area, starting from an initial survey, through the design and planning phase.
We also take care of the maintenance of the hides once they are operational, the management of the settings, improvements to structures already built, solutions to facilitate access to wildlife or wildlife monitoring.
The first floating hide in Berlevåg was a real technical and climatic challenge. But the results are excellent
Sometimes a photo hide can become a symbol of a new vision for land. In the monoculture landscape, where there are almost no natural elements such as trees and shrubs, we decided to build a sculpture dedicated to the Eurasian Bittern, inside which there is a photo hide, an observation post and several artificial nests for Barn Owls and bats.
Placement & Completion
CONSTRUCTION OF PHOTO HIDES AND OBSERVATION STATIONS
Once the preparation phase is completed, thanks to a team of experts, we directly take care of the construction of the necessary facilities and the arrangement of the vegetation, in such a way that they respect the species for which they are intended, that they give the best results from a photographic point of view, that they have the least environmental impact and that they fit well into the area.
TRAINING AND TECHNICAL CONSULTING
We believe in teamwork and when we operate in an area, we work side by side with the people who will follow the tourist activities. We teach our working techniques, the princi – ples for dealing with wildlife and provide all useful information for the development of the area. We dedicate this work not only to the areas directly managed by SKUA, but we also provide technical advice to anyone interested in developing projects related to wildlife and photo tourism.
BE A PART OF THE NETWORK
SKUA Nature is a world leader in the development and management of natural areas. Our international experience allows us to identify the right strengths to develop projects that have all the necessary characteristics to gain access to the main wildlife tourism networks. Thanks to our many years of experience in the field, we know nature and wildlife very well. This is of course necessary to know, for example, how, where and when to build a new hide to photograph a particular species, and what are the target species for each country.
Our work does not consist “only” in the construction of hides, but in the creation of a whole system, from the first exploration of the territory to the creation of a solid long-term business plan, from the construction or renovation of special facilities for this type of tourism to the training of personnel, from advertising and marketing through international fairs and contacts with the main worldwide tour operators of this market to the management of tourist groups, from the creation of ad hoc promotional material (website, brochures, etc.) to the administrative office, the technical team and much more.
In all our activities, SKUA naturally puts the welfare of wildlife first. We are all naturalists, biologists and conservationists, so we are always aware that we NOT must in some way affect the delicate balance of nature. Our attention is always very high in this regard and when dealing with wildlife we all have to be extremely careful.
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- SKUA Nature is a leader in the development and management of natural areas.
- We know how to communicate with this very demanding audience and prepare ad hoc promotional materials.
- All our projects always follow the highest ethical and environmental standards.
- We participate in the most important international fairs in this field.
- We have contacts with a large number of tour operators and professionals from different countries.
- Our team exclusively takes care of the development and long-term management of the project.
- We calculate the initial investment.
- SKUA Nature starts to profit the moment the owner/manager of the area receives the first income from the project.
- The fact that we manage a Network allows our company to give the largest percentage of profits to the local partner, be it a landowner or a public institution (on average 60-70%).
- Our Network is already a success and helps new projects reach their goals faster.