Mission Statement

To protect and conserve Laguna San Ignacio in the Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve in Baja California Sur, Mexico, breeding ground of the gray whale. Our approach is based on long-term scientific research and monitoring, in concert with education and empowerment of the local community, so as to ensure the economic and biological stability of the region, its extraordinary and iconic wildlife, and its people. To this end, LSIESP is dedicated to providing opportunities to educate, train, and guide future marine wildlife biologists and managers.

Our program’s VISION is for an ecologically robust marine protected area that hosts sustained, low-impact, environmentally friendly eco-tourism and fishing operations for the economic and social benefit of the local communities, Mexico, and to benefit the wildlife that depend on this unique coastal marine ecosystem. To this end, we strive to develop and implement a sustained ecosystem-based science program that provides wildlife and land managers and local community residents with information on the status and trends of the Laguna San Ignacio ecosystem, addresses complex ecosystem issues at scales appropriate to management questions, and that recognizes the natural and human-related mechanisms affecting the ecosystem. Such information is fundamental to evaluate future development and conservation alternatives and options, and to assess the outcome of management and conservation measures implemented to determine if they achieve their intended purposes.