The ongoing degradation of mangroves worldwide gravely undermines essential ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, coastal protection, and the maintenance of biodiversity, diminishing their crucial role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. In regions such as Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - one of the country's most ecologically and socially vulnerable mangrove areas - this degradation has reached critical levels, threatening not only local flora and fauna but also the livelihoods and cultural practices of surrounding communities. Addressing this urgent challenge, participatory design emerges as a powerful tool for ecological restoration and social engagement. By involving community members and international participants in a virtual role-playing game, where they embody both human (e.g., fishermen) and mangrove species (e.g., crabs, birds, mangrove trees), the project fosters empathy, systems thinking, and shared decision-making. Following the game, participants co-create a collaborative digital mural - alongside a physical mural in Mexico - that serves as a living archive of their experiences, reflections, and insights fostering further interactive dialogue.
