kids encyclopedia robot

Area de Conservación Guanacaste World Heritage Site facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Area de Conservación Guanacaste
Guanacaste National Park.jpg
Rincón de la Vieja Volcano
Location Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica
Area 1470 km²
Established 1989
Governing body National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC)
Type: Natural
Criteria: ix, x
Designated: 1999 (23rd session)
Reference #: 928bis
Region: Latin America and the Caribbean
Extensions: 2004

The Area de Conservación Guanacaste is a network of protected areas and a World Heritage Site in Guanacaste Province, in northwestern Costa Rica. The World Heritage Site contains an unbroken tract of tropical dry forest and important habitat for several vulnerable species, including the Central American tapir, mangrove hummingbird, and the great green macaw. Over 7,000 plant species and 900 vertebrate species have been located in the park.

Geography

The area of the national parks combined totals 1,470 square kilometers (570 sq mi) as of 2004. This reflects a long-term process of growth, which started with the establishment of Santa Rosa National Park in 1971. Over several decades, surrounding lands were purchased and nearby national parks connected to the growing protected area, so that the Guanacaste Conservation Area came to encompass a high diversity of tropical dry forest, rainforest, cloud forest, and marine habitats. The park contains about two-thirds of the endangered animals of Costa Rica.

It formally became part of National System of Conservation Areas—SINAC in 1994, and a World Heritage Site in 1999. In 2004, the World Heritage Site was extended with a private property measuring 15,000 ha in the Santa Elena rain forest.

Elements

The World Heritage Site includes:

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Área de conservación Guanacaste para niños

  • Guanacaste Conservation Area
  • World Heritage Sites in Costa Rica
kids search engine
Area de Conservación Guanacaste World Heritage Site Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.