In the rich tapestry of Guyanese changemakers, few loom as large and luminous as Annette Arjoon-Martins — pilot, conservationist, entrepreneur, and advocate. Her life has been a continuous balancing act: between the skies and the sea, between traditional roots and modern challenges, between community life and national leadership. Yet through it all, her guiding compass remains steadfast: to protect Guyana’s natural wealth, uplift her people, and show that passion and action must walk hand in hand.
Roots by the River, Heart in the Wild
Annette’s story begins not in grand halls or boardrooms, but along the waterways of the Pomeroon River in Essequibo. Raised by her grandmother, who was Indigenous Arawak, she learned to paddle, swim, and live close to nature from an early age.
Her mother was very young at her birth; she entrusted Annette’s upbringing to her father, giving her the chance to receive formal schooling in Georgetown and later abroad. In those formative years — swimming rivers, hearing the call of the wind in the trees, living amid wildlife — she developed an instinctive love for the natural world.
Taking Flight: From Timber to Turbine Skies
Annette’s family had deep roots in the timber business (the Mazaharally group), and she once worked in the log mills. But she realised early on that her calling lay elsewhere. Rather than cutting trees, she would learn to fly above them.
She earned her pilot’s license at Briko Flight School in Trinidad. Her fascination with aviation was not merely for prestige; it became a tool. Operating charter flights across Guyana — from remote riversides to jungle airstrips — gave her direct access to regions few see, and enabled conservation, research, and connectivity to flourish.
Within her family’s aviation company, Air Services Limited (ASL), Annette took on roles in operations, marketing, fuel logistics, and route expansion. She helped integrate fuel-efficient turbine engines and helicopter operations to aid access to remote areas.
From Sea Turtles to Mangroves: The Conservation Crusade
If the skies gave Annette reach, the seas gave her purpose. One of her most significant initiatives is marine and coastal conservation, especially protecting sea turtles and mangrove ecosystems — vital for shoreline protection, biodiversity, and climate resilience.
- Shell Beach & Sea Turtles: Her passion for sea turtles was ignited when she accompanied scientists monitoring nesting turtles along Shell Beach. She witnessed the danger of egg harvesting, net entanglement, and habitat loss. In 2000, she founded what is now the Guyana Marine Conservation Society (GMCS), originally focused on turtle protection, later expanding to broader marine conservation.
- Mangrove Restoration & Coastal Defence: Recognising that mangroves form the first line of coastal defence, Annette has championed restoration along Guyana’s shores. She chaired government-led mangrove projects and has emphasised integrating conservation with livelihoods — for example, promoting sustainable jobs for coastal communities.
- Innovative Tools: Drones & Local Science: More recently, Annette has pioneered the use of drones to monitor mangrove health and coastline changes — notably deploying a female drone unit in remote regions like the Barima-Mora Passage. Her approach seeks to bridge high tech with grassroots community empowerment.
- Community Engagement & Alternative Livelihoods: Central to her conservation strategy is working with communities, not against them. She has helped establish North West Organics, enabling Indigenous women to produce cassava bread, coco sticks, and other products for sale. She also led a “Bee Defence” project, teaching beekeeping skills to coastal women, creating an income stream that supports conservation.
Challenges, Tensions & Advocacy in a Changing Guyana
Annette’s work does not come without tension. In the context of Guyana’s emerging oil and gas sector, she has been vocal in urging strong environmental safeguards. She has criticised baseline marine surveys as being mere observations, not robust science, and argued that Guyanese should be empowered and trained as local species observers rather than relying entirely on foreign contractors. Additionally, balancing her many roles — conservation, aviation, business, family — poses real demands. In interviews, she’s acknowledged that parts of her family life suffered as she committed time to fieldwork and advocacy. She has also spoken out about gender equity in male-dominated sectors, insisting that women deserve a place on boards, in decision-making, and in leadership roles.
Legacy in Motion: Impact and Inspiration
Annette Arjoon-Martins is more than an environmentalist or pilot; she is a symbol of what it looks like to bridge tradition and innovation, to lead with humility, and to act with fierce love for her country.
Her work has:
- Raised national awareness about marine ecosystems, turtles, and mangroves
- Secured protection status for Shell Beach
- Advanced coastal restoration efforts
- Developed community enterprises tied to conservation
- Inspired younger generations, particularly in Indigenous regions
- Brought international recognition, including features in National Geographic Traveller
Her life story is still unfolding. In a rapidly changing Guyana, where resource extraction, climate pressure, coastal vulnerability, and development ambitions repeatedly collide, her voice matters — as a conscience, a bridge builder, and a reminder that the natural world is not a backdrop, but life itself.
