On Wednesday, 10 July 2024, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), hosted a celebratory event with partners, Executive Mayor of Cape Town, and funders to officially open the newly-built Education and Visitor Centre at its Cape Town premises. The new centre will enable the non-profit organisation to accommodate its ever-expanding environmental education programme, with a large education space overlooking African penguins and other seabirds, an interactive screen and wall and includes a souvenir shop and cafeteria that will be open to the public from the end of the month.
The new development was conceptualised from the need to provide a multi-purpose venue for large groups of learners and have universally accessible ablution facilities. The education space will also allow hosting of scientific talks, training workshops for skills development to impart valuable seabird expertise, as well as conferences with local and international partners. The centre’s souvenir shop and cafeteria are ideally placed to generate a supplementary income stream to support SANCCOB’s conservation work to reverse the decline of southern African seabird populations.
“We have received generous support from local and international businesses, individuals, institutions and foundations, who have either sponsored furnishings and building materials or contributed financially to the new building. We are grateful for their support to make this project a reality and excited about the impact for our environmental education programme and improved visitor experience,” says, Natalie Maskell, SANCCOB’s Chief Executive Officer.
Washirika 3 Oaks (W3O) (Pty) Ltd. commenced excavation and building works in October 2023 and a complete hand-over took place in June 2024. JP Architecture is the Architect behind the building’s beautiful design, providing a welcoming entrance way and reception area, with optimally placed wall-to-wall windows for viewing of the African penguin Home Pen, and aptly located cafeteria area with majestic views of one of the New7Wonders of Nature, Table Mountain.
“All the efforts the city is currently making to clean up and improve the quality of our watercourses is beginning to make a difference and is largely thanks to leadership and remarkable work done by Sanccob to protect and save our seabirds. I have no doubt that the impact this facility will have on the tens and thousands of children who come through its doors and hope that it inspires many more people to consider professional conservation as a profession in the years ahead,” says Geordin Gwyn Hill-Lewis, Executive Mayor of Cape Town.
Each year, SANCCOB hosts thousands of touring and local visitors, school learners and corporate groups, who make their way to the organisation’s seabird hospital to gain insight into seabird rehabilitation and conservation efforts for which the non-profit is renowned worldwide. Chick rearing, seabird rehabilitation, oiled wildlife preparedness and response and disease surveillance are just some of the specialties offered via workshops and on-site training, and delegates will now experience these teachings in a top-class facility.
Maskell adds, “Over and above the education aspect, the facilities offered at the new centre will strengthen our income to cover core expenses of veterinary and rehabilitative care for seabirds admitted, which is crucial for an organisation such as ours that relies on donor funding. The endangered African penguin is our flagship species and, in our endeavour to prevent its extinction, we execute all measures necessary for its safeguarding. These measures vary from employing in-field rangers who monitor the colonies and carry out proactive colony sweeps in the event of extreme weather conditions, to SANCCOB’s co-litigation against the office of the Minister of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, for its unlawful and irrational decision regarding no-take fishing zones. All our interventions bear a cost, and it’s important to be innovative with our income generation to do whatever it takes to provide protection for southern African seabirds.”
Members of the public can book an informative tour with SANCCOB’s education department from 9am to 3pm, seven days a week. The souvenir shop and cafeteria will be accessible regardless of opting for a paid tour. To visit will school learners, corporate groups or to hire the venue, contact the centre at 021 557 6155 or email [email protected].
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