The Area de Conservación Guanacaste is a group of protected areas and a World Heritage Site in Guanacaste Province, northwestern Costa Rica. The World Heritage Site includes a continuous area of tropical dry forest and important habitats for several vulnerable species, such as the Central American tapir, mangrove hummingbird, and great green macaw. More than 7,000 plant species and 900 vertebrate species have been found in the park.

Geography

The total area of the national parks combined is 1,470 square kilometers (570 sq mi) as of 2004. This showed a slow increase over time, beginning with the creation of Santa Rosa National Park in 1971. Over many years, nearby lands were bought, and parks were connected to form the Guanacaste Conservation Area. This area includes a wide variety of habitats, such as tropical dry forest, rainforest, cloud forest, and marine environments. The park is home to about two-thirds of Costa Rica’s endangered animal species.

It officially became part of the National System of Conservation Areas—SINAC—in 1994 and was named a World Heritage Site in 1999. In 2004, the World Heritage Site was expanded to include a private land area of 15,000 hectares in the Santa Elena rain forest.

The World Heritage Site includes:
• Santa Rosa National Park
• Guanacaste National Park
• Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park
• Junquillal Bay Wildlife Refuge