“The National System of Conservation Areas of Costa Rica or SINAC, (Spanish: Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion), 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.”
“Created in 1994, it combined previously three separate organizations that had previously managed laws relating to national parks, wildlife and forestry.”
“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 which were created in 1998, 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 conservation efforts of the various organizations involved.”
Cirenas is proud to be working jointly with SINAC on the management of the Caletas Ario National Wildlife Reserve. With SINAC’s support and permits, projects will have more effect in the area. Poachers hopefully turn to be knowledgeable guides that may earn an honest living, animals in the wild will be safer and grow in numbers while travelling along protected biological corridors and the natural habitat as well as the water resources will take their natural course, without being disrupted.