Area de Conservación Guanacaste - Costa Rica 🇨🇷 Travel & Discover

The Guanacaste Conservation Area comprises 88,000 terrestrial hectares and approximately 43,000 hectares of marine area. The entire area extends from 19 kilometers out in the Pacific Ocean to the coast of northwestern Costa Rica, and then inland through lowland Pacific dry tropical forests, up into the mountains to over 2,000 meters elevation, then down on the Atlantic Caribbean side into the upper portions of lowland rainforests. The area is a complex of almost entirely contiguous protected areas, forming a single larger protected area. The protected areas are the Santa Rosa National Park, Rincon de la Vieja National Park, Guanacaste National Park, Junquila Wildlife Refuge, as well as the Forestry Experiment Station and Marine Area, part of Santa Rosa National Park. Approximately 60% of all species present in Costa Rica are found in the Guanacaste Conservation Area, or from a global point of view, approximately 2.4% of all the biological diversity of the planet. In addition, the area's fauna and flora are characterized by a major intercontinental convergence of species, with their origins in the Neartic and Neotropical Echozones. Many species in the area range as far north as the regions of Mazatlan and Tampico in Mexico, and others as far south as Brazil and Bolivia. The Guanacaste Conservation Area contains 37 wetland areas, among which are included some of the most important in Central America. Its mangrove forests contain eight species of mangroves and are exceptionally intact. The area's dry tropical forest, totaling approximately 60,000 hectares, is a complex mosaic of old growth patches and regenerating areas varying up to 400 years in age. The Guanacaste Conservation Area contains important and apparently healthy populations of many of Central America's most typical vertebrates, with a grand total of 940 known vertebrate species. It is estimated to possess thousands of species of fungi, nematodes, coleoptera and other insects. Three elements are fundamental determinants of the great biological richness of the area. The most intact inshore Pacific marine ecosystem between the Panama Canal zone and Mexico, with major nutrient-rich upwelling currents, causing high productivity in the surface layers. The only remaining significant area of Central American to Northern Mexican Pacific dry tropical forest. A major altitudinal transect of 105 kilometers, including eight life zones, within which there is a continuous band of mangroves on the Pacific coast, Mesoamerican Pacific dry tropical forest, humid montane tropical forest, cloud forest, and finally on the Caribbean Atlantic slope, tropical rainforest. The Guanacaste Conservation Area is internationally significant and represents the only remaining possibility of protecting and conserving a large size and ecologically complete dry tropical forest ecosystem left in the Americas and in contiguous association with its nearby coastal marine and human montane, cloud, and wet lowland Atlantic Caribbean rainforests. The area can be compared with other similar areas at worldwide, neotropical, and Mesoamerican levels. The sample of dry tropical forest protected in the Guanacaste Conservation Area is the third largest in the world, after Kakadu National Park in northeastern Australia and Thungyehwa Kakayeng Wildlife Sanctuaries in Thailand. The zone contains a complete dry forest ecosystem. Tropical dry forest is the most severely threatened of all the major tropical habitat types, with less than 0.02% remaining of the tropical dry forest that once constituted more than half of the woody vegetation of the planet's tropical regions. The area is the only conserved dry forest in the neotropics, large and contiguous enough to sustain its full complement of species indefinitely. The Guanacaste Conservation Area is the only World Heritage Site in the neotropical realm that protects dry tropical forest. Its 60,000 hectares of dry tropical forest is the largest and by far the best protected of such forests in the Americas, since the coastal near inland dry and semi-dry tropical coastal and scrub-thorne forests of northern Peru and southern Ecuador are fundamentally a different complex than typical dry tropical forests of Central America. Plus they have been severely deforested, grazed, and or otherwise disturbed over almost all their extension. All the other protected areas, including dry tropical forests of the Central American to Northern Mexican type in the region, are far smaller in size, scattered widely, and with no biological corridors connecting them, and subject to much greater edge effects. The Guanacaste Conservation Area is the only protected area in all of Central America and to include a continuous transect from Pacific marine areas to dry tropical forest, and then with altitudinal variation, a variety of adjacent forests onwards almost to the Caribbean coast, with humid forests, cloud forests, and wet lowland tropical forests. One of the protected areas within the Guanacaste Conservation Area, the Rincón de la Vieja National Park, is one of Costa Rica's most diverse ecological parks. Known for its stunning diversity of flora and fauna, this national park is home to two volcanoes, the Rincón de la Vieja and the Santa María, as well as six different volcanic peaks, and 32 rivers and streams. The name Rincón de la Vieja is translated as Old Woman's Nook, and refers to the legend of a young girl whose lover was thrown into the volcano by her father, after which she became a recluse with healing powers. This national park extends on both the Caribbean and Pacific sides of the Cordillera de Guanacaste. The Pacific slopes of the volcano have distinct dry seasons, while the Caribbean side is wet and lush green. Spread over 14,083 hectares, this park is also the habitat of an impressive array of wildlife, insects, and birds, like the spider monkey, the emerald toucanet, jaguars, cougars, and tapirs. Rincón de la Vieja National Park is the cradle of the most important hydrographic river basin of Guanacaste, originating in innumerable rivers and ravines of pure crystalline water. The Blanco River passes through this area. The Rincón de la Vieja presents a large diversity of habitats due to the differences in altitude and precipitation, the volcanic eruptive effect, and type of watershed. In the lower parts, the most common trees are laurel, guanacaste, acetuno, ardillo, naked indian, bitter cedar, and capulin blanco. The intermediate zone that lies between 800 and 1,500 meters above sea level is thickly covered with cupi, madwood, jicarodanto, yos, iguano, and oak, which grows over 30 meters high and up to one meter in diameter. From 1,500 meters up to the top, the forest is short and the trees are covered with moss and toras. The most common species are cupi, papayillo, and crespen huacute. The top of the volcano is covered by ash and vegetation is sparse. Plants include cupi and the poor man's umbrella. The vegetation in the northwestern sector of the park is typical of the Atlantic side of the volcano. The forest tower is overhead with trees up to 40 meters tall. The understory is often very mixed with the predominant growth of palms. The neighboring Blanco River pool is a tranquil pool of clear water surrounded only by forest and birdsong. With over 200 volcanic formations, Costa Rica is a literal hotbed of relaxing mud bass, mineral pools, and thermal hot springs. Celebrated as one of the country's best ways to be pampered, hot spring facilities range from rustic natural pools to manicured grounds with well-maintained springs. Hot springs are generally defined as springs produced from geothermally heated groundwater. There are several sources for earth-heated waters, but in Costa Rica there is but one, volcanoes. Adjacent to underground lava and hot rocks, spring water travels through the ground, often picking up dissolved solids. Los Azufrales is a collection of hot sulfur springs. Lakes containing sulfur dioxide fill small hollows with constantly bubbling muddy water. Vapor holes are particularly active during the raining season. Visitors can check out the hornillas, a collection of mud cones, mud pots, and vents that are most active during the rainy season. Natural hot springs or warm thermal pools located adjacent to cool water rivers are an option for adventurous travelers and hikers. Generally located within national parks or private reserves, these pools are rustic and offer few amenities. Most notable are those in National Park. A hot spring is a natural discharge of groundwater with an elevated temperature. Most hot springs result from the emergence of groundwater that has passed through or near recently formed hot igneous rocks. In general, the temperature of rocks within the earth increases with depth. The rate of temperature increase with depth is known as a geothermal gradient. The number of tree species in Costa Rica is approximately 1900, with the national tree being the Guanacaste. Enterolobium cyclocarpum, commonly known as Guanacaste, Caro-Caro, or elephant ear tree, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to tropical regions. It is known for its large proportions, its expansive, often spherical, crown, and its curiously shaped seed pods. The abundance of this tree, especially in Guanacaste province, Costa Rica, where it is prized for the shady relief it provides from the intense sun, coupled with its immensity, have made it a widely recognized species. The park's geology is very unique. Most Central American countries share an incredible biodiversity and ecosystems because of how, when, and where Central America was formed by two tectonic plates pushing against each other. What is today Costa Rica was initially underwater volcanoes that over thousands and thousands of years kept adding layers, and therefore to its size, till eventually they surfaced and continued to grow, just as Hawaii does today. Once there were several volcanoes that reached out of the sea, erosion and further volcanic activity eventually led to a continuous landmass connecting North to South America only about three million years ago. This enabled animal and plant migration from North and South, and is the main cause of the high biodiversity of this region. Costa Rica is home to approximately 160 different areas that are dedicated to protecting the environment and priceless natural treasures of Costa Rica and Central America. Costa Rica has 28 national parks, of which two are marine parks, that expand its reach of protection out into the sea. There is a very large number of wildlife refuges and nature reserves. The Guanacaste Conservation Area has the greatest amount of its area in government ownership within Costa Rica. In other words, almost 100% of the terrestrial and all the marine area of the existing decreed protected areas, which make up the area, are in government ownership. The borders of the Guanacaste Conservation Area are well defined, protected, and in virtually all areas relationships with bordering landowners are good, or at least civil and peaceful. The current strategy calls for the current 88,000 hectares of terrestrial habitat and 43,000 hectares of marine zone in the Guanacaste Conservation Area to be gradually expanded to approximately 110,000 hectares of contiguous land and 50,000 hectares of marine areas. In general, the area has widespread and solid local support from its neighbors and the public in general in Guanacaste Province. That is due in large part to the extensive efforts of the Guanacaste Conservation Area to incorporate local leadership into the A local committee was established with several representatives of major local social and economic interests as members, along with the area's leadership. It mainly acts at the advisory level, but does take part in major budget allocation decisions for the overall program. Support also comes from the fact that the area is reaching some 2,500 school children in all of the primary schools and several high schools surrounding its borders, with its basic biological-ecological literacy campaigns. Moreover, the area itself, the extensive biological inventory programs within the area, and many visiting scientists who use its five biological research stations, have been providing new sources of employment for an already marginalized region, which is also suffering the effects of a major economic downturn over the past 15 years. In terms of its economic sustainability, the Guanacaste Conservation Area is in far better condition than the majority of protected areas in the developing world. A little over 25% of the country's territory is under some category of protection, and this percentage is increasing thanks to the support of the private sector, which has created many private reserves dedicated mainly to ecotourism and research. This is a conservation effort that few countries in the world have undertaken, and in which Costa Rica has invested substantial resources for the well-being of present and future generations. Costa Rica has a very comprehensive legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. This has been strengthened with the enactment of the Biodiversity Law, approved in 1998. To complement national efforts to create a legal framework for biodiversity conservation, Costa Rica has also signed and ratified various international and regional agreements, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Cities Agreement that regulates the trade in endangered species, and the Wetlands or Ramsar Convention, among many others. The knowledge obtained through inventories and scientific studies, and their appreciation by society, plays an essential role in ensuring the long-term conservation of the country's protected areas and natural resources. The native peoples living in the area at the time of the Spanish arrival in 1519, the Choroteco tribe, were a group whose ancestors had emigrated south from Mexico. When Hernán Ponce de León and Juan de Castañeda sailed into what is now known as the Gulf of Nicoya on the last leg of their exploratory voyage from Panama, the name of the regional chieftain was Nicoya, thus the origin of the name of both the Gulf and the peninsula. During the first two decades of the Spanish conquest in this region, the invaders established a lucrative trade, the sale of human slaves to Panama and Peru. This activity, together with untold deaths resulting from disease, decimated the local population. Spanish settlement of Guanacaste was slow, since most of the colonization from 1563 onwards was concentrated in the Central Valley, and there was very little native labor force left in the lowlands to be employed in farming activities. The Spaniards brought in Zambos, a mixed race of escaped black slaves and indigenous people from eastern Nicaragua and Honduras to help work the haciendas in Guanacaste, but even so the population was too low to sustain much agricultural production, and so cattle ranching developed as the most common activity in the region due to the low manpower requirements. Santa Rosa National Park is famous not only as a place of beauty, but also as one of great historical significance. Costa Rica has been invaded three times by foreign armies, and every time the would-be invaders were defeated within Santa Rosa National Park's current boundaries. The best known of these victories was the Battle of Santa Rosa on March 20, 1856. On that date, 9,000 Costa Ricans met the notorious and detested Filibusters, an army of foreign pirates and adventurers led by William Walker. A small Costa Rican army won the final fight against the Filibusters at La Casona, a ranch house located in Santa Rosa. Today, a rebuilt La Casona is preserved as a national monument, dedicated to the memory of the men who risked and lost their lives fighting for Costa Rican freedom. Filled with lush vegetation during the rainy season, the Santa Rosa National Park turns into a tropical dry forest in summer, with many meandering trails and stunning beaches. The park is divided into two zones, the Santa Rosa section and the Murcia Lago section. Santa Rosa National Park preserves two different values, an immense diversity, and a key part of the history of Costa Rica. The park is a mosaic of 10 distinct habitats, including mangrove swamp, savanna, and oak forest, which attract more than 250 bird species and 115 mammal species, half of them bats, including two vampire species. Among them, relatively easily seen animals such as white-tailed deer, cuatamundis, howlers, spider, and white-faced monkeys, and anteaters. The park is divided into three sectors, containing a total of eight ranger and biological stations, Santa Rosa, Nancite, Santa Elena, Naranjo, Murcia Lago, Islas, Ejunquila stations, and the Guanacaste Conservation Area office. Sector Santa Rosa is home to La Casona Historical Museum and the Nancite station. The Nancite biological station, which offers rustic facilities for researchers, is heavily protected and accessed only with prior approval. Sector Santa Elena covers a central part of the peninsula and includes the Santa Elena station and the Naranjo station. Sector Murcia Lago is in the northwestern part of the Santa Rosa Peninsula and is known as the Murcia Lago or Bat Sector. The Islas station, also part of this sector, is located on an island that is part of a series known as the Bat Islands, which are accessible only by boat. The Ejunquila station, a reforestation laboratory, is not on the Santa Rosa Peninsula, but slightly to the north. Ecotourism has become an important economic force in the Guanacaste Conservation Area and its surrounding rural and semi-urban region. Ecotourism is already growing in the region, but most of it is resort beach-oriented, and the main economic investments and flows are to companies outside of Guanacaste and partly foreign in many cases. The much smaller part of it is nature tourism to wild areas and for wildlife viewing, and with only very limited local benefits so far, although that is growing slowly. The Guanacaste Conservation Area has begun to promote and facilitate such development and activities with local communities and interest groups through a series of initial contacts, technical meetings and workshops. The Guanacaste Conservation Area explores proactively a process of participatory evaluation, design, planning and development of the type of nature-oriented tourism it wants to offer within the area. The Guanacaste Conservation Area demonstrates significant biological and ecological processes in both its terrestrial and marine coastal environments, as exemplified by the evolution, succession and restoration of Pacific tropical dry forest. It can also be seen by altitudinal migration and other interactive biogeographic and ecological processes along its dry forest, montane humid forest, cloud forest, lowland Caribbean rainforest transect, as well as the major upwelling and development of coral colonies and reefs in regions long considered not to have either. The Guanacaste Conservation Area contains important natural habitats for the conservation of biological diversity, including the best dry forest habitats in communities from Central America to Northern Mexico, and key habitat for threatened or rare plant and animal species. The site demonstrates significant ecological processes in both its terrestrial and marine coastal environments. These processes include the evolution, succession and restoration of Pacific tropical dry forest, altitudinal migration and other interactive biogeographical and ecological processes, and major upwelling and the development of coral colonies and reefs. In 1999, the Guanacaste Conservation Area was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.