A transboundary protected area (TBPA) is an ecological protected area that spans boundaries of more than one country or sub-national entity. Such areas are also known as transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) or peace parks.
National System of Conservation Areas or SINAC,, is part of the Ministry of Environment and Energy or MINAE of Costa Rica. It is the administrator for the nation's national parks, conservation areas, and other protected natural areas.
Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area, is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in the northern part of Costa Rica. It contains a national park, a forest reserve and number of wildlife refuges.
Tempisque Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in the western part of Costa Rica, including the Tempisque River valley and the Nicoya Peninsula. It contains a number of National Parks, Wildlife refuges and Forest Reserves.
Tortuguero Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in Limón Province, northeastern Costa Rica.
Cariari National Wetlands is a nature reserve, part of both the Tortuguero and Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Areas, in the Limón Province of northeastern Costa Rica. It protects mangrove swamps and marine areas on the Caribbean coast. It covers all of the coast from the Tortuguero National Park to the Pacuare Matina Forest Reserve.
Guanacaste Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by the Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion (SINAC) of Costa Rica for conservation in the northwestern part of Costa Rica. It contains three national parks, as well as wildlife refuges and other nature reserves. The area contains the Area de Conservación Guanacaste World Heritage Site, which comprises four areas.
Arenal Tempisque Conservation Area, is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in the northwest part of Costa Rica, near the Arenal Volcano and covering part of the Cordillera de Tilarán and Cordillera de Guanacaste. It contains a number of National Parks, Wildlife refuges and Protected Zones. The area was previously known as Arenal Tilarán Conservation Area.
Central Pacific Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in the southwestern part of Costa Rica, on the Pacific coast. It contains four National Parks, and a number Wildlife refuges and other types of nature reserve.
Pacific La Amistad Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in the southern part of Costa Rica, on the Pacific side of the Continental Divide. It contains several National Parks, and a number Wildlife refuges and other types of nature reserve.
Osa Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in Costa Rica, on the southern Pacific coast region. It contains two National Parks, and numerous Wildlife refuges and other types of nature reserve.
Central Conservation Area, is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in the central part of Costa Rica, notably the volcanic areas of the Cordillera Central. It contains six National Parks, several wildlife refuges and other types of nature reserves.
Tortuguero National Park is a national park in the Limón Province of Costa Rica. It is situated within the Tortuguero Conservation Area of the northeastern part of the country. Despite its remote location, reachable only by airplane or boat, it is the third-most visited park in Costa Rica. The park has a large variety of biological diversity due to the existence within the reserve of eleven different habitats, including rainforest, mangrove forests, swamps, beaches, and lagoons. Located in a tropical climate, it is very humid, and receives up to 250 inches (6,400 mm) of rain a year.
Protected areas of Panama include:
Los Santos Forest Reserve, is a protected area in Costa Rica, managed under the Central Conservation Area and Pacific La Amistad Conservation Area, it was created in 1975 by decree 5389-A.
Jairo Mora Sandoval Gandoca-Manzanillo Mixed Wildlife Refuge, is a protected area in Costa Rica, managed under the Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area, it was created in 1986 by decree. It protects both a land portion as well as a marine portion. In 2013 the refuge was renamed to honour the murdered environmentalist Jairo Mora Sandoval. In 2014 land along the coast containing a number of small towns was removed from the refuge, due to complaints from the local residents about evictions and destruction of property due to strict building codes. It is one of only two places in Costa Rica where manatees still occur. It is located in a coastal beach region, fronted by coral reefs and clothed in tropical forest, with 1950-3000mm yearly precipitation.
Pacuare-Matina Forest Reserve, is a protected area in Costa Rica, managed under the Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area, it was created in 1973 by decree 2886-A.
Pacuare River Forest Reserve, is a protected area in Costa Rica, managed under the Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area, it was created in 1985 by law 7018.
The protected areas of Puerto Rico include an array of natural areas in the archipelago of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States, managed by a number of agencies and entities belonging to both federal and commonwealth government bodies. Although Puerto Rico has no natural units in the National Park System, the biodiversity of the island is recognized and protected through a national forest, a national wildlife refuge, a national wilderness, and numerous state parks, nature reserves, state forests, wildlife preserves and other designations on state, municipal and public-private administration levels.
