El Arenal Natural Reserve (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: ''Reserva Natural El Arenal'') is a

natural reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

with an area of . It is located in the

Matagalpa department Matagalpa () is a department in central Nicaragua. It covers an area of 6,804 km2 and has a population of 600,057 (2021 est). The capital is the city of Matagalpa with a population of about 111,000. Matagalpa is the second largest region o ...

in central

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

. The government permits small settlements and farmers to stay in the region within the reserve. El Arenal comprises one of 78

protected areas of Nicaragua The protected areas of Nicaragua are areas that have natural beauty or significance and are protected by Nicaragua. Nicaragua has 78 protected areas that cover 22,422 km2, about 17.3% of the nations landmass. The National System of Protected Area ...

and is managed by

Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARENA), is in charge of environmental protection and of the study, planning, and management of the Nicaragua's natural resources. It was formerly known as the Nicaraguan Institute of Natural R ...

(MARENA).

References

Protected areas of Nicaragua Matagalpa Department Central American pine–oak forests {{Nicaragua-protected-area-stub