EASTERN CAPE conservation has received a R8.1 m boost from the national lottery (Lotto) to build a marine rehabilitation centre in Port Elizabeth to treat injured and oiled gannets, seals and seabirds, including Algoa Bay’s endangered African penguins. The proposed state-of-the art rehabilitation centre, with its strong educational, tourism and research elements, will be unique to the country and become one of a handful in the world. The centre should become a popular environmental tourist attraction as visitors will be able to watch the whole rehabilitation process at close quarters until the penguins, seabirds or seals are released back into the wild. “Algoa Bay in Port Elizabeth is a national and a natural treasure,” said Samrec’s chairman Clive Sharwood. “It is fitting that its environmental future is now being secured by all South Africans who play Lotto.” The islands in the bay are home to 35 of the 91 recorded Southern African seabird species and six of the 14 resident species breed there. The global population of the endangered African penguin has slid 90 per cent in the last century to less than 200 000 – and more than half of these live in the bay. It is also the only breeding spot in the world for the rare roseate tern of which only 400 remain and Bird Island in the bay is home to the largest Cape gannetry in the world. The proposed home of the new Centre is at the gates of the Cape Recife Coastal Nature Reserve subject to an arrangement being made with Madiba Bay Safari World, the company that holds the lease. The new centre should be able to deal with up to 200 African penguins, as well as 10 to 12 seal pups and 20 to 30 seabirds at any one time. In an emergency up to 2 500 birds could be accommodated in temporary facilities. There would also be space for turtles, other seabirds and about a dozen seal pups. Since the Lotto award was announced last week, the National Ports Authority, builders of the new Coega Port, and the Coega Development Corporation have said their organisations would be giving some financial aid to the centre. With Coega port construction activities underway and increased shipping expected in future, there is an increased threat of pollution and risk of damage to sea life. Samrec will be updating the plans for the centre before commissioning the EIA.