SINAC (Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion) is the government agency in Costa Rica that deals with national parks and wildlife refuges. It is a branch of MINAE (Ministerio del Ambiente y Energia). SINAC oversees over 160 protected areas, of which 26 are designated National Parks. Other areas are designated wildlife refuges, biological reserves, national monuments, forest reserves, national wetlands, and protected zones.

The entire country of 12,596,690 acres (50,977 km²) is under the jurisdiction of eleven large Conservation Areas, overseen by divisions of SINAC. Over 25% of the national territory i.e. 3,221,636 acres (13,037 km²) is included in the national parks, refuges and protected zones within these eleven Conservation Areas.

Costa Rica's progressive policies on environmental protection and sustainable eco-tourism in the National Parks System have been lauded as a model for other countries. The rainforests, tropical forests, marine areas and wetlands of Costa Rica are the subject of many university and scientific organization studies. The enrichment of the world's knowledge of these important habitats is an invaluable contribution from the National Parks System of Costa Rica.

See also: Costa Rica

External links

• MINAE official site (español)
• SINAC official site (español)
• Costa Rica National Parks (English)