The Nazca Institute for Marine Research, located in Ecuador, is a private, non-profit, non-governmental organization that was founded in 2004. The name Nazca refers to the oceanic tectonic plate located in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

• Improve the general knowledge of the region’s coastal marine diversity through a constant process of taxonomic and systemic review, as well as by consulting databases and scientific articles regarding ecosystem, species, and genetic biodiversity.


• Create a viable and effective management plan for coastal marine areas through:
  
  
  1. Creation and implementation of applied ecology programs,
  
  
  2. The responsible utilization of natural resources, and
  
  
  3. The development of technologies to implement sustainable production projects.

• Implement projects and programs for community development, education, empowerment, governance, natural resource management, and conservation.


• Evaluate, aid, and participate in the elaboration of policies and regulations relating to the establishment of coastal marine conservation areas, networks of marine protected areas, and the conservation and sustainable use of marine natural resources through rational management.