Protected Areas in Central America

Cocos Island lies off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and is the only island in the tropical eastern Pacific with a tropical rainforest. Surrounded by deep waters with counter-currents, Cocos Island National Park is admired by scuba divers for its populations of large marine species.

Coiba National Park, off the western coast of Panama, protects Coiba Island and 38 smaller islands as well as surrounding marine areas within the Gulf of Chiriqui. Coiba’s Pacific tropical moist forest maintains high levels of mammal, bird and plant endemism.

Corcovado National Park conserves the largest primary forest on the American Pacific coastline and is one of the few remaining sizable areas of lowland tropical forests in the world. It is the crown jewel in the extensive system of national parks and biological reserves across Costa Rica.

The Cordillera Volcánica Central Biosphere Reserve, located in the central highlands of Costa Rica, is rich in both natural resources and cultural heritage. It encompasses four national parks, two forest reserves, six protected zones and a national monument.

Darién National Park and Biosphere Reserve is the largest protected area in Panama, containing an exceptional variety of habitats: sandy beaches, rocky coasts, mangroves, and swamps as well as lowland and upland tropical forests containing remarkable wildlife.

This conservation area in northwestern Costa Rica contains a mosaic of diverse ecosystems from the Pacific shores to the lowland rain forests in the Caribbean basin. It is comprised of four contiguous protected areas, containing important terrestrial and marine-coastal environments and key habitats.

Guanacaste National Park is located in the northern part of Costa Rica and was created to allow a corridor between the dry forest and rainforest areas which many species migrate between seasonally. It is a part of the Area de Conservación Guanacaste World Heritage Site.

The Irazú Volcano is an active stratovolcano situated in the Cordillera Central of east-central Costa Rica. A popular tourist destination, Irazú Volcano National Park is part of the Central Conservation Area of Costa Rica and encompasses the area around the volcano.

Los Katíos National Park has great biological wealth and holds a privileged role in the South American continent's biogeographical history. An exceptional biological diversity is found in the park, which is home to many threatened animal species as well as many endemic plants.