As Roxo’s trip to Panama approaches, I am both incredibly excited to journey to Panama for the first time and anxious to put together a great video for Wetlands International. Wetlands International’s mission statement is this: “Wetlands International is the only global not-for-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and restoration of wetlands. We are deeply concerned about the loss and deterioration of wetlands such as lakes, marshes and rivers. Our vision is a world where wetlands are treasured and nurtured for their beauty, the life they support and the resources they provide.” My biggest hope for my trip to Panama is that I am able to capture how dedicated Wetlands International is to conserving wetlands, as well as the passion of the people behind the non-profit.
During my junior year of high school, I traveled to the Dominican Republic with another service organization to work on a mangrove restoration project. We helped plant mangrove trees on the coast that had recently been destroyed by a devastating hurricane. Though it has been quite a few years since I played a small part in the mangrove restoration effort, looking back on that trip, I feel a connection to the work Wetlands has done and continues to do for mangrove restoration.
Though I have seen first-hand the devastation that losing mangroves has on communities, I have still yet to learn all I can about the role mangroves ecosystems play in warm-climate environments. Working for Wetlands in Panama, I hope to become even more knowledgeable on how mangrove ecosystems affect the global environment as well as how they directly affect local populations in Panama. While visiting Wetlands International, I also hope to learn more about the work the company outside of mangrove restoration. Bon voyage!
Meggy
These are entries by students from Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, TX, USA) Roxo students traveling to Panama for Spring Break to work with Wetlands International on the Mangrove Project.
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