Protecting David’s Mangroves is also sowing the seeds for the future

Some people teach a subject, and there are others who change the course of a community. Twenty-six years ago, Olga Samaniego decided to stay in Pedregal, Chiriquí. She could have left, but she chose to teach in the same place where she grew up, very close to the David’s Mangroves, one of the most important ecosystems in Panama.

Her decision was never just about becoming a teacher; it was a calling to invest in future generations. «These kids give me hope. Young people give me hope because if you leave a legacy, you hope that they will continue that legacy.» For Olga, education has never meant only teaching science; it means shaping people capable of protecting the land where they grew up.

Growing up alongside David’s mangroves

«I grew up here from the age of two, and we lived very close to the mangrove area,» begins his story, a childhood marked by estuaries, squirrel monkeys, lizards, and the life that flourishes around the mangroves. Years later, that same landscape would end up defining his vocation, centered around an ecosystem that inspires other callings.

For more than two decades, Olga has worked to help her students discover the value of the place where they live. «I want to help my students overcome that stigma… and appreciate what they have around them; their closest ecosystem is the mangroves.» This is how an environmental brigade was born, which over the years evolved into a science club.

Today, several of those students are studying Biology, Biomedical Engineering, and other science fields; some have even received international scholarships. One of those school projects about sea urchins ended up taking two students to the University of Arkansas.

David’s Mangroves also educate

Olga’s story demonstrates that mangroves not only harbor biodiversity, but also inspire knowledge. According to the report Climatic and Ecological Value of the Mangroves of Chiriquí (2026) nearly 25% of all mangroves in Panama are located in Chiriquí, forming one of the largest mangrove ecosystems in Latin America.

It is a place where nature continues to teach every day and where learning to observe can also transform a life.

Puerto Barú and the generations to come

While the scientific community continues to recognize the exceptional value of David’s Mangrove, the project Puerto Barú leaves open questions about the potential impacts that an intervention of this magnitude could have on this ecosystem. When a mangrove is altered, not only does the landscape change, but so does the territory where future generations learn.

This is just a story

«We are going to have a generation that is more aware of mangroves, of forest protection, of ecosystem protection, and above all, capable of fighting for what it wants.» Olga’s words summarize something that science cannot measure.

The true legacy of an ecosystem lies not only in the species it protects but also in the people it inspires, because David’s Mangroves not only store carbon but also sow curiosity.

#DefendTheMangroves