“It’s not a ‘one and done’ experience where you plant a mangrove and never see it again,” Jane adds. Across the next few months, the Pearl British Academy children, and other youth and community members who have participated in the program this year, will return to the ADNOC Al Nouf mangrove forest. They will collect seeds, germinate them, load them into drones and help with the next wave of mangrove planting. “It is taking them through the whole scientific process; it’s a real STEM activity,” says Jane. “And when they go and plant their own seeds, it's with their fingers direct to soil. “When you’re looking at something, touching it and putting it into the ground – feeling the connection because you’ve named it – that makes a difference. “It’s a personal touch we try to amplify. And if the site isn’t disturbed, that little tree will be there 50 years from now as a natural habitat.” On a beautiful, sunny morning in 2076, Laith may return to the ADNOC Al Nouf mangrove forest to visit his tree, “Duncan”, named after one of the ADNOC team members on the trip. Mira may visit the mangrove named after her too. And so might the other children who “left a legacy for science,” bringing their families back to plant more trees where they once stood. Because as the children depart the forest to return to class, the day is best captured in Mira’s words: “I feel like it was a childhood memory I will always remember.”