Award sends Arjoon into Shell-shock
By Sharon Lall
Guyana Chronicle
December 1, 2003
LEAD spokeswoman for the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society (GMTCS) Mrs. Annette Arjoon has been honoured with a Shell Antilles Guiana Limited award in recognition for conservation work in Guyana.
Country Manager of Shell Antilles Guianas Limited, Mr. Ken Figaro presented Arjoon with the award on November 7, 2003 in the Savannah Suite of Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel.
Shell Antilles Regional Director from Barbados was also in attendance at the ceremony.
"I was completely surprised as it is normal for conservation organisations to give awards to companies in recognition of their support to conservation initiatives. Upon accepting (the award) I remarked that I was 'shell shocked' in a very pleasant way," said Arjoon, Project Coordinator for GMTCS.
"I must admit that this was typical of Shell as a company which has always set standards long before other companies in terms of doing things their way," she told the Sunday Chronicle in an interview.
Figaro, in an invited comment, said Shell Antilles made the significant contribution because of the "work done by and through Annette", who has been "at the forefront of the conservation society pushing for (protection of) endangered species."
He remarked that the award was also in keeping with Shell Antilles programme on Health, Safety, Security and the Environment (HSSE), which places emphasis on the environment and its protection, and endangered species.
Figaro said his organisation also supports work dealing with the manatee as one endangered specie.
Shell Antilles recently supported a project at the zoo to paint and spruce-up the Manatee pond at the Botanical Gardens, according to Figaro.
He added that Shell Antilles considers the work of Arjoon in GMTCS as pivotal to the whole organisation and its role in the protection of endangered species.
Figaro said Shell Antilles annually donates 40 tons of gasoline to the GMTCS. This year the fuel given is worth $700 000.
Shell Antilles, which has been affiliated with the GMTCS for five years, also funded the construction of the sea turtle monument erected outside the Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel. The monument, erected at a cost of US$2 900 (G$571 300) was commissioned in October 2001.
Arjoon has been involved in the work of GMTCS since April 2000 when it was formally established with Prime Minister Samuel Hinds graciously agreeing to become its patron. Initially, the programmes of GMTCS were largely centered on monitoring and patrolling the areas of Shell Beach to protect four species of endangered sea turtles: Green Turtle, Leatherback, Hawksbill and Olive-Ridley. The turtles nest in Guyana, annually.
Eight Amerindian wardens, each settling along the beaches of the North West, are employed annually during the sea turtle nesting season March-August, when watchful eyes are needed to prevent slaughtering and pick up eggs which are at risk either of erosion or poachers. Prior to registering the GMTCS, conservation efforts by world sea turtle expert, Dr. Peter Pritchard and his Guyanese assistant, Audley James had begun in the late 1980s. This involved tagging the turtles using Monel tags that were supplied by the Gainsville Marine Turtle Monitoring Centre.
With the cooperation of the government, the British High Commission, Non-
Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the local media, the GMTCS in its bid to save endangered sea turtles has since been active in educating and building environmental awareness and community programmes that target Amerindian villagers in and around Shell Beach. One-week conservation camps or expeditions for schoolchildren from the North West District are habitually planned to teach them how to protect and even tag sea turtles nesting on their beaches.
Arjoon said the award she received from Shell Antilles is "a first".
"It is very special as it is coming from a Private Sector company... (It) should be me giving the award in recognition of (Shell Antilles) support. It is a wonderful feeling to know that the conservation work that we do is appreciated across all borders, not only the general public but private sector," she said.
Arjoon said she dedicates her award to all the "unsung conservationists in Region One who work with (GMTCS) through the years to make the project the success that it has become."
"(We) look forward to achieving greater progress in 2004."
She explained that the donation of fuel by Shell Antilles to aid in the work of the GMTCS is valuable since, "fuel in the region is like liquid gold."
"We utilise two drums of gasoline every time we patrol the 100-mile stretch of beach as well as go out to sea to engage in friendly conversations with local fishermen whose support we need if there is to be long-term success of our conservation efforts," Arjoon said.
"The reality is that more turtles are killed by drowning in fishing nets than by local Amerindians for meat. The generous donation of fuel allows us to not only successfully engage in ocean patrols, but it also transports students to environmental camps. So this support contributes directly to two of the five thematic areas of work of GMTCS."
Arjoon said Shell Beach conservation activities and the Shell Antilles Company seemed destined to be linked, as the past five years of conservation and monitoring activities and environmental education at Shell Beach were made possible to a large extend from support by Shell Antilles.
To date, the Shell Antilles contribution to GMTCS is worth GY$3 000 000.
"It was a good thing that Shell Beach was named after 'Shell' Antilles and Guianas Limited," Arjoon stated.
"With the advent of the area, identified as a priority site for protection by the Government of Guyana, there is a need for much awareness both regionally and locally, so this may be an area of future collaboration.
"Another possibility would be to have the products produced under the alternative income-generating project (of GMTCS) - such as the shell wind chimes - being sold in the Shell Shops. The possibilities are endless."
A Guyanese student from the North West District, Anthony Cummings, recently benefited from a Shell Foundation scholarship to attend Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.
"This was made possible through the kind interventions of Mr. Ken Figaro. (It) also indicates that (Shell Antilles) has gone beyond in-country support, as they have assisted a Guyanese student to complete his second Masters (degree) in GIS used at Shell Beach, as a case study," Arjoon said.
Arjoon is appealing to other companies to follow the lead of Shell Antilles.
"I do not mean to give me more awards, but to support other conservation initiatives in Guyana of which there are many to which a few dollars can go a long way," she said.