Conservation Areas

Costa Rica has 11 Regional Conservation Areas (RCAs): more information can be found at www.sinac.go.cr [1].

Amistad Caribbean Conservation Area

The country’s least accessible protected area encompasses rugged, mountainous terrain in southeastern Costa Rica, plus parks of the southern Caribbean littoral. It incorporates several indigenous reserves, plus Las Cruces Biological Station as well as the following:
Barbilla National Park [2]
Cahuita National Park [3]
Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge [4]
Hitoy-Cerere Biological Reserve [5]

Amistad Pacific Conservation Area

Costa Rica’s largest protected zone is also among its more inaccessible and rugged, and includes:
Chirripó National Park [6]
La Amistad International Park [7]
Los Quetzales National Park [8]
Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park [9]

Arenal-Tilarán Conservation Area

This conservation area encompasses wildlife-rich environments of the Cordillera de Tilarán, including three private cloud forest reserves, Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve [10], the Children’s Eternal Forest [11], and the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve [12], plus:
Arenal Volcano National Park [13]
Diría National Park [14]
Miravalles Volcano National Park [15]
Tenorio Volcano National Park [16]

Central Volcanic Range Conservation Area

Dramatic topography and a wide range of montane and humid tropical forest types characterize this area flanking the Central Valley. Includes:
Braulio Carrillo National Park [17]
Guayabo National Monument [18]
Irazú Volcano National Park [19]
Poás Volcano National Park [20]
Turrialba Volcano National Park [21]

Guanacaste Conservation Area

Protects diverse ecosystems in Guanacaste, from shoreline to mountaintop, including:
Guanacaste National Park [22]
Rincón de la Vieja National Park [23]
Santa Rosa National Park [24]

Isla del Coco Marine Conservation Area

Protects the waters surrounding Cocos Island, incorporated within:
Isla del Cocos National Park [25]

Northern Huetar Conservation Area

Covering the northern lowlands, this newly created entity includes:
Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge [26]
Frontier Corridor National Wildlife Refuge [27]
Juan Castro Blanco National Park [28]

Osa Conservation Area

This humid region, in the Pacific southwest, comprises some of the largest stands of rainforest in Central America and includes:
Caño Island Biological Reserve [29]
Corcovado National Park [30]
Marino Ballena National Park [31]
Piedras Blancas National Park [32]
Térraba-Sierpe Forest Reserve [33]

Pacific Central Conservation Area

Incorporates the central coast and coastal mountain ranges, plus offshore waters, and includes:
Carara National Park [34]
El Rodeo Protected Zone [35]
Manuel Antonio National Park [36]

Tempisque Conservation Area

This conservation area unites varied ecosystems protected in:
Barra Honda National Park [37]
Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve [38]
Camaronal Wildlife Refuge [39]
Curú National Wildlife Refuge [40]
Marino Las Baulas National Park [41]
Nicolas Weissenburg Absolute Reserve [42]
Ostional National Wildlife Refuge [43]
Palo Verde National Park [44]
Tamarindo Wildlife Refuge [45]

Tortuguero Conservation Area

Combines vast wetland and forest regions of the northeast Caribbean, most significantly:
Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge [46]
Tortuguero National Park [47]

Links:
[1] http://www.sinac.go.cr
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-caribbean-coast/highway-32-puerto-limon/siquirres
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-caribbean-coast/cahuita-and-vicinity/cahuita-national-park
[4] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-caribbean-coast/manzanillo-and-vicinity/gandoca-manzanillo-national-wildlife-refuge
[5] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-caribbean-coast/south-puerto-limon/valle-del-rio-estrella/hitoy-cerere-biological-reserve
[6] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/south-central-costa-rica/chirripo-and-vicinity/chirripo-national-park
[7] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/south-central-costa-rica/la-amistad-friendship-park
[8] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/central-highlands/cartago-and-vicinity/san-gerardo-de-dota
[9] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/central-highlands/cartago-and-vicinity/tapanti-macizo-de-la-muerte-national-park
[10] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/guanacaste-and-the-northwest/monteverde-and-santa-elena/sights/monteverde-cloud-forest-biological-reserv
[11] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/guanacaste-and-the-northwest/monteverde-and-santa-elena/sights/children-s-eternal-cloud-forest
[12] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/guanacaste-and-the-northwest/monteverde-and-santa-elena/sights/santa-elena-cloud-forest-reserve
[13] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-northern-zone/arenal-volcano-and-vicinity/arenal-volcano-national-park
[14] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-nicoya-peninsula/highway-2-santa-cruz/santa-cruz
[15] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/guanacaste-and-the-northwest/canas-and-vicinity/miravalles-volcano
[16] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-northern-zone/highway-4-upala/tenorio-volcano-national-park
[17] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/central-highlands/northeast-san-jose/braulio-carrillo-national-park
[18] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/central-highlands/turrialba-and-vicinity/guayabo-national-monument
[19] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/central-highlands/cartago-and-vicinity/irazu-volcano-national-park
[20] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/central-highlands/alajuela-and-vicinity/poas-volcano-national-park
[21] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/central-highlands/turrialba-and-vicinity/turrialba-volcano-national-park
[22] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/guanacaste-and-the-northwest/the-far-north/guanacaste-national-park
[23] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/guanacaste-and-the-northwest/liberia-and-vicinity/rincon-de-la-vieja-national-park
[24] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/guanacaste-and-the-northwest/the-far-north/santa-rosa-national-park
[25] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/golfo-dulce-and-the-osa-peninsula/the-burica-peninsula/cocos-island-national-park
[26] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-northern-zone/los-chiles-and-vicinity/cano-negro-wildlife-refuge
[27] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-northern-zone/puerto-viejo-de-sarapiqui-and-vicinity/frontier-biological-corridor-wildlife-refuge
[28] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/central-highlands/grecia-zarcero/bajos-del-toro
[29] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/golfo-dulce-and-the-osa-peninsula/the-osa-peninsula/cano-island-biological-reserve
[30] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/golfo-dulce-and-the-osa-peninsula/the-osa-peninsula/corcovado-national-park
[31] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/central-pacific/costa-ballena/marino-ballena-national-park
[32] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/golfo-dulce-and-the-osa-peninsula/golfito-and-golfo-dulce/piedras-blancas-national-park
[33] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/golfo-dulce-and-the-osa-peninsula/valle-de-diquis/sierpe
[34] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/central-pacific/orotina-playa-herradura/carara-national-park
[35] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/central-highlands/escazu-and-vicinity/santa-ana-ciudad-colon/reserva-forestal-el-rodeo
[36] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/central-pacific/quepos-and-manuel-antonio/manuel-antonio-national-park
[37] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-nicoya-peninsula/highway-2-santa-cruz/barra-honda-national-park
[38] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-nicoya-peninsula/southern-nicoya/cabo-blanco-absolute-wildlife-reserve
[39] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-nicoya-peninsula/playa-camaronal-manzanillo/playa-camaronal-punta-bejuco
[40] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-nicoya-peninsula/southeast-nicoya/curu-national-wildlife-refuge
[41] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-nicoya-peninsula/tamarindo-and-vicinity/marino-las-baulas-national-park
[42] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-nicoya-peninsula/southern-nicoya/montezuma
[43] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-nicoya-peninsula/playa-lagarto-ostional/ostional-national-wildlife-refuge
[44] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/guanacaste-and-the-northwest/canas-and-vicinity/palo-verde-national-park
[45] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-nicoya-peninsula/tamarindo-and-vicinity/tamarindo
[46] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-caribbean-coast/tortuguero-and-barra-del-colorado/barra-del-colorado-national-wildlife-refuge
[47] http://www.moon.com/destinations/costa-rica/the-caribbean-coast/tortuguero-and-barra-del-colorado/tortuguero-national-park