This article aims to characterize the relation of a community of fishermen in the Gulf of Urabá to the surrounding mangrove ecosystems and their conservation. The analysis was done following the ethnographic approach (participant observation and in-depth interviews). The analysis is based on the perspectives of political ecology and ethno-ecology. This approach reveals the existence of multiple overlapping territorialities and power relations underlying the inequitable attribution of responsibilities among local stakeholders in the conservation and restoration of the mangroves. The absence of favorable attitudes regarding the protection of marine and coastal resources is considered to be an expression of the sharp contradictions that permeate the economic, social and political life of the Urabá region.