Guanacaste National Park
In Costa Rica there are 26 national parks and a total of 161 protected areas (biological reserves, protected areas, protected forests, shelters, wetlands and more) whose total area amounts to 1,304,306 ha, equal to 25.58% of the total area of the country.
The Ministry of the Environment (MINAE, Ministerio del Ambiente y Energía) oversees the management of national parks (623,771 ha in total, equal to 12.23% of the national territory) through a special department called SINAC (Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación).
List of National Parks and Nature Reserves of Costa Rica
| First name | province | Surface (ha) | Established year | Peculiarities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Amistad International Park | with Panama | 567.845 | 1990 | rain forest |
| Barbilla | Cartago, Limón | 11.900 | 1982 | |
| Honda bar | Guanacaste | 2.300 | 1974 | caves |
| Braulio Carrillo | San José | 47.580 | 1978 | biodiversity, extinct volcanoes |
| Cahuita | Limón | 1.100 | 1982 | marine fauna, coral reef |
| Chirripó | Cartago, Limón, San José | 50.800 | 1975 | high-altitude rainforest |
| Coconut Island | Puntarenas | 2.385 | 1997 | important endemism |
| Corcovado | Puntarenas | 42.500 | 1975 | biodiversity, rainforest |
| Diria | Guanacaste | 2.800 | 1991 | biodiversity, landscape |
| Guanacaste | Guanacaste | 34.000 | 1991 | biodiversity, landscape |
| Juan Castro Blanco | Alajuela | 14.500 | 1992 | biodiversity, rainforest |
| La Cangreja | San José | 1.900 | 1987 | |
| Las Baulas | Guanacaste | 2.800 | 1991 | nesting of sea turtles |
| Manuel Antonio | Puntarenas | 1.624 | 1972 | coastal and marine environment biodiversity |
| Palo Verde | Guanacaste | 18.400 | 1978 | tropical birds |
| Piedras Blancas | Puntarenas | 14.000 | 1991 | forest, river environment |
| Rincón de la Vieja | Guanacaste | 14.200 | 1973 | volcanic complex |
| Santa Rosa | Guanacaste | 38.674 | 1971 | savannah, wetland |
| Tapantí | Cartago | 58.300 | 1982 | forest, river environment |
| Tortuguero | Limón | 38.674 | 1971 | nesting of sea turtles |
| Arenal Volcano | Alajuela | 12.000 | 1991 | Arenal volcano |
| Irazú volcano | Cartago | 2.000 | 1955 | Irazú volcano |
| Poás Volcano | Alajuela | 6.500 | 1971 | Poás volcano |
| Tenorio volcano | Guanacaste | 12.900 | 1976 | Tenorio volcano |
| Turrialba volcano | Cartago | 1.600 | 1955 | Turrialba volcano |
External links
- (ES) Official site of the MINAE Costa Rican Ministry of the Environment
- (ES) SINAC official website Ministerial department dedicated to the conservation of natural areas
- (EN) National parks of Costa Rica
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning National parks of Costa Rica
Commons contains images or other files on National parks of Costa Rica
