{"id":1827,"date":"2026-10-23T10:20:04","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T09:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/noapuertobaru.com\/?p=1827"},"modified":"2026-10-26T10:24:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T10:24:53","slug":"leaders-by-the-nature-of-mangroves-david-puerto-baru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/noapuertobaru.com\/en\/articles-2\/leaders-by-the-nature-of-mangroves-david-puerto-baru\/","title":{"rendered":"Leaders for Nature from the classrooms to the David Mangroves"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than 200 young Panamanians applied to Leaders for Nature, the program of The Oxygen Project that seeks to form a new generation of environmental advocates. Of them, 50 were selected to learn about Nature Rights, impact, and the protection of ecosystems. And this time, the classroom was the David Mangroves in Chiriqu\u00ed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leaders for Nature<\/b> It combines virtual training with face-to-face experiences on the ground, connecting scientific knowledge, advocacy tools, and direct contact with the ecosystems we seek to protect. The program is part of <\/span>TOP Coop<\/b>, The global community of The Oxygen Project that educates, supports, and connects environmental leaders to transform inspiration into action.<\/span><\/p>\n

The training began with international and Panamanian leaders who have promoted Nature\u2019s Rights from different sectors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Natalia Greene<\/b>, global director of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN), shared her experience in the movement that led Ecuador to become the first country in the world to constitutionally recognize these rights.<\/span><\/p>\n

Callie Veelenturf<\/b>, Marine biologist and founder of The Leatherback Project addressed her involvement in the promotion of <\/span>Law 287<\/b>, which since 2022 recognizes the Rights of Nature in Panama.<\/span><\/p>\n

From <\/span>Sustainable Ocean Alliance Panama<\/b>, Natalia Navarro and Sergio Othon contributed their knowledge about marine ecosystems, biodiversity and environmental impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

An opportunity to understand that defending nature requires knowledge, collaboration, and participation.<\/span><\/p>\n

David's Mangroves: learning in a territory that needs protection<\/b><\/h2>\n

The in-person experience led the young people to the <\/span>Mangroves of David<\/b>, In the Chiriqu\u00ed Gulf, an ecosystem that protects the coastlines, captures carbon and hosts extraordinary biodiversity.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it is also a territory where a major environmental controversy is unfolding. The project <\/span>Puerto Baru<\/b> It envisages port infrastructure and dredging works that could affect the mangroves and the associated marine ecosystems.<\/span><\/p>\n

This situation raises a contradiction that runs through the Panamanian environmental debate: <\/span>While Panama is pushing for a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Nature at the United Nations, on its own territory the dispute over a project whose potential impacts on the David Mangroves have been questioned continues.<\/b><\/p>\n

From Panama to the world: Think globally, act locally<\/b><\/h2>\n

The training continues with two international online sessions, open to young people from all over the world:<\/span><\/p>\n