Meet Javier Pardo Díaz is a thesis student at the Biology School with an orientation in Marine Biology and Limnology at the University of Panama. He is currently working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute on long-term projects on water quality monitoring and mangrove restoration in the Bay of Panama. Since the beginning of his career, he has been part of different NGOs such as Sustainable Ocean Alliance Panama, Reef 2 Reef Foundation, and the Ghost Net Removal project with the Panama Aquatic Resources Authority, among others, and is an active volunteer for many other foundations that they seek a more sustainable future for all. Javier was one of the 77 young people selected to participate in the Youth Leadership Summit and the Our Ocean 2023 conference, he also participated as a delegate to CITES COP 19 in 2022, both held in the Republic of Panama. In addition to being part of research projects, he works as an underwater cameraman focused on environmental education, educating the civil community, young students, children, and adults.
In this Episode, Javier and I take a deep dive into the importance of coastal ecosystems in Panama and some of the issues the country faces when it comes to marine conservation. If you are interested in learning more about Javier be sure to follow him on Instagram.
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