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Costa Rica

170
Total Protected Areas
100 With management effectiveness evaluations
Terrestrial and Inland Waters Protected Areas
Marine Protected Areas
Other effective area-based conservation measures
0
Total Other effective area-based conservation measures
Polygons/Points ratio
Polygons 100%
Points 0%
Discover Protected Areas and OECMs
Terrestrial and Inland Waters Protected Areas
Marine Protected Areas
Other effective area-based conservation measures
ON
Map Disclaimer
The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

• Dotted line represents approximately the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir agreed upon by India and Pakistan. The final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not yet been agreed upon by the parties.
• Final boundary between the Republic of Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan has not yet been determined.
• Final status of the Abyei area is not yet determined.
• A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).

Terrestrial and inland waters protected area coverage

26.52% Coverage

13,548km2 Land area covered

51,093km2 Total land area

26.00% 6th National Report coverage

PAME

22.94% With management effectiveness evaluations

11,722km2 Areas assessed

Marine protected area Coverage

28.38% Coverage

165,109km2 Marine and coastal area covered

581,845km2 Total marine and coastal area

2.70% 6th National Report coverage

PAME

28.26% With management effectiveness evaluations

164,408km2 Areas assessed

Disclaimer: These statistics might differ from those reported officially by countries due to difference in methodologies and datasets used to assess protected area coverage and differences in the base maps used to measure terrestrial and marine area of a country or territory.

IUCN Management Categories

SeriesChart100%Chart created using amCharts library

Governance types

SeriesChart100%Chart created using amCharts library

Sources 4

  1. Wildlife Protected Areas, Costa Rica Updated: 2024 Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion (SINAC), Costa Rica
  2. Integración de la Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde, Costa Rica a WDPA. Updated: 2022 Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde, Costa Rica.
  3. Lapa Rios Reserve, Costa Rica Updated: 2015 The Long Run
  4. UNESCO World Heritage Sites Updated: 2024 IUCN World Heritage Programme

Designations

  • 88.82%
  • 11.18%

National designations

151
  • Absolute Natural Reserve 2
  • Biological Reserve 9
  • Conservation Easement 1
  • Forest Reserve 9
  • Marine Management Area 4
  • National Monument 1
  • National Park 30
  • National Wildlife Refuge 49
  • Protected areas with sustainable use of natural resources 1
  • Protected Zone 33
  • Wetland 12

Regional designations

0

    International designations

    19
    • Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance 12
    • UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve 4
    • World Heritage Site (natural or mixed) 3

    Other designations

    0

      citation

      UNEP-WCMC (2025). Protected Area Profile for Costa Rica from the World Database on Protected Areas, April 2025. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net

      Downloads
      Citation

      UNEP-WCMC and IUCN (2025), Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM) [Online], April 2025, Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net.