Protecting the mangroves of David is also sowing the future<\/b>
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Some people teach a subject, and others change the direction of a community. Twenty-six years ago, Olga Samaniego decided to stay in Pedregal, Chiriqu\u00ed. She could have left, but she chose to teach in the very place where she grew up, very close to the <\/span>Mangroves of David<\/b>, one of the most important ecosystems in Panama.<\/span><\/p>\n Her decision was never solely to become a teacher, it was a calling to invest in the next generations. \u00abThese kids give me hope, youth gives me hope because if you leave a legacy, your hope is that they will continue that legacy.\u00bb For Olga, educating has never just meant teaching science; it means training people capable of protecting the land where they grew up.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00abI grew up here from the age of two and we lived very close to the mangrove area,\u201d thus begins his story with 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 around an ecosystem that inspires vocations.<\/span><\/p>\n For over two decades, Olga has worked to help her students discover the value of the place where they live. \u00abI want to help my students escape that stigma... and appreciate what they have around them; their closest ecosystem is the mangroves.\u00bb This is how an environmental brigade was born, which over the years evolved into a science club.<\/span><\/p>\n Today, several of those students are studying Biology, Biomedical Engineering, and other scientific careers, with some even securing international scholarships. One of those school projects on sea urchins even led two students to the University of Arkansas. <\/span> Olga's story demonstrates that mangroves not only harbour biodiversity, they also inspire knowledge. According to the report <\/span>Climatic and Ecological Value of the Mangroves of Chiriqu\u00ed (2026)<\/b><\/a>, near the <\/span>25% for all of Panama\u2019s mangroves<\/b> are found in Chiriqu\u00ed, forming one of the largest mangrove ecosystems in Latin America.<\/span><\/p>\n It is a place where nature continues to teach every day and where learning to observe can also transform a life.<\/span><\/p>\n While the scientific community continues to recognise the exceptional value of the <\/span>Mangroves of David<\/b>, el proyecto <\/span>Puerto Baru<\/b> keeps open questions about the possible impacts that an intervention of this magnitude could generate on this ecosystem. When a mangrove is altered, it not only changes the landscape, it also changes the territory where future generations learn.<\/span><\/p>\nGrowing up beside the mangroves in David<\/b><\/h2>\n
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\n<\/span>The Mangroves of David also educate<\/b><\/p>\nPuerto Bar\u00fa and the generations to come<\/b><\/h2>\n