The health and proper functioning of coastal marine ecosystems and the biodiversity contained within them are under increasing threat from human activities. In Ecuador 58% of the population is concentrated within 100 km of the coast. This strong pressure has provoked the loss and destruction of key habitats, overexploitation of marine resources, waste contamination, and negative effects in climatic systems. An important tool for ameliorating these threats and contributing to the sustainable use of marine resources is the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s).

An important focus of Nazca’s activities has been MPA research. We have performed various ecological and cartographic studies, and development of management strategies for various Ecuadorian MPA’s.

 

Ecuador, as a signatory member of the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD), committed itself to meeting the goals of the Program of Work on Protected Areas. This program includes the establishment and consolidation of an interconnected network of representative marine protected areas that adequately preserve the biological diversity of marine ecosystems, as well as offering special protection to areas of special value or a highly threatened state. Gap analysis, the identification of priority areas for conservation of coastal marine biodiversity based on ecological criteria, constitutes an important tool for adhering to this conservation goal.

Nazca has completed to projects of the conservation gap analysis type. The first focused on the Guayaquil eco-region as an initiative of Tropical Pacific Planning, and the second set its sights on the Ecuadorian continental plateau.