The protected areas of Nicaragua are areas that have natural beauty or significance and are protected by

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 ...

. Nicaragua has 78 protected areas that cover 22,422 km², about 17.3% of the nations

landmass A landmass, or land mass, is a large region or area of land. The term is often used to refer to lands surrounded by an ocean or sea, such as a continent or a large island. In the field of geology, a landmass is a defined section of continental ...

. The National System of Protected Areas (SINAP) is administered by the

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).

History

The Peninsula of Cosigüina Wildlife Refuge was established in 1958 and was the first protected area in Nicaragua. Two more protected areas were established in 1979 and there was a total of 25 by 1990. Prior to 1979, the

Central Bank of Nicaragua The Central Bank of Nicaragua ( es, Banco Central de Nicaragua) is the central bank of Nicaragua. History The bank was established in 1960 and commenced operations on 1 January 1961. Presidents * Francisco Laínez Matamoros, January 1961 - Ma ...

was assigned responsibility for the two

national parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

and one natural reserve created during the

Somoza The Somoza family ( es, Familia Somoza) is a former political family that ruled Nicaragua for forty-three years from 1936 to 1979. Their family dictatorship was founded by Anastasio Somoza García and was continued by his two sons Luis Somoza D ...

regime. In March 1999, a new law established regulations for private reserves in Nicaragua. Private

wildlife 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 ...

s are defined as private areas dedicated to conservation by their landowners and recognized by MARENA, on the basis of certain criteria and the potential for the conservations of

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

List of protected areas

This is a complete list of

protected areas Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

: * Alamikamaba Natural Reserve * Apacunca Genetic Reserve * Apoyo Lagoon Natural Reserve * Asososca Lagoon Natural Reserve * Bismuna Raya Lagoon Natural Reserve * Bosawás Biosphere Reserve *

Cabo Viejo-Tala-Sulamas Natural Reserve Cabo Viejo-Tala-Sulamas Natural Reserve is a nature reserve in 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 ...

Cordillera Dipilto and Jalapa Natural Reserve Coordillera Dipilto and Jalapa Natural Reserve is a nature reserve in 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, ...

* Cosigüina Volcano Natural Reserve *

El Arenal Natural Reserve El Arenal Natural Reserve (Spanish: ''Reserva Natural El Arenal'') is a natural reserve with an area of . It is located in the Matagalpa department in central Nicaragua. The government permits small settlements and farmers to stay in the region wit ...

Estero Padre Ramos Natural Reserve The Padre Ramos Estuary Natural Reserve (Spanish: ''Reserva Natural Estero Padre Ramos'') is located on the northwest Pacific coast of Nicaragua, in the municipality El Viejo in the department of Chinandega. It is one of 78 protected areas of Ni ...

* Estero Real Natural Reserve * Fila Masigüe Natural Reserve *

Hurricane Mitch Victims National Monument Hurricane Mitch is the second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, causing over 11,000 fatalities in Central America in 1998, including approximately 7,000 in Honduras and 3,800 in Nicaragua due to cataclysmic flooding from the slow motion of ...

* Indio Maíz Biological Reserve * Juan Venado Island Natural Reserve *

Kligna Natural Reserve Kligna Natural Reserve is a nature reserve in 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 sout ...

* Kukalaya Lagoon Natural Reserve * La Inmaculada Fort Historical Site * La Máquina Natural Reserve * Layasika Lagoon Natural Reserve * Limbaika Natural Reserve *

Llanos de Apacunca Genetic Reserve Llanos de Apacunca Genetic Reserve is a nature reserve in Nicaragua. It is one of the 78 reserves which are under official protection in the country, as a part of the Estero Real Natural Reserve. This estuarine ecosystem is part of the mangrove sy ...

* Llanos de Karawala Natural Reserve * Llanos de Makantaka Natural Reserve *

Los Guatuzos Wildlife Refuge Los Guatuzos Wildlife Refuge (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Refugio de Vida Silvestre Los Guatuzos'') has an area of and is located south of Lake Nicaragua and west of the San Juan River (Nicaragua), San Juan River in Nicaragua. Los Guatuzos is a ...

* Macizos de Peñas Blancas Natural Reserve *

Maderas Volcano Natural Reserve Maderas Volcano Natural Reserve is a nature reserve in 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 ...

* Makantaka Natural Reserve * Masaya Volcano National Park * Mecatepe Lagoon Natural Reserve *

Mesas de Moropotente Natural Reserve Mesas de Moropotente Natural Reserve is a nature reserve in 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 R ...

* Miraflor Natural Reserve * Mombacho Volcano Natural Reserve
O Parks, WildLife, and Recreation
formerly named Ostional Private WildLife ReserveO Parks, WildLife, and Recreation
*

Nejapa Lagoon Natural Reserve Nejapa Lagoon Natural Reserve is a nature reserve in 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 ...

* Pahara Lagoon Natural Reserve *

Punta Gorda Natural Reserve Punta Gorda Natural Reserve is a nature reserve in 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 ...

* Río Manares Natural Reserve * Río San Juan Wildlife Refugee * Salto Río Yasika Natural Reserve * Selva Negra Cloud Forest Reserve * Sierra Amerrisque Nature Reserve *

Sierra Quirragua Natural Reserve Sierra Quirragua Natural Reserve is a nature reserve in 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 ...

Solentiname National Monument The Solentiname Islands () are an archipelago towards the southern end of Lake Nicaragua (also known as Lake Cocibolca) in the Nicaraguan department of Río San Juan. They are made up of four larger islands, each a few kilometres across, named, ...

Somoto Canyon National Monument Somoto Canyon National Monument (Spanish: Monumento Nacional Cañón de Somoto) is a canyon located in the Madriz Department of Nicaragua. The Somoto Canyon National Monument protected area covers an area of approximately , of which are in the act ...

* Tepesomoto–Pataste Nature Reserve *

Tiscapa Lagoon Natural Reserve Tiscapa Lagoon is a lagoon of volcanic origin that formed over 10,000 years ago. It is located in the capital city of Managua in Nicaragua, and covers an area of 0.13 km2. Tiscapa Lagoon was protected as a natural reserve (Spanish: ''Reserva N ...

* Tisma Lagoon Natural Reserve * Volcán Maderas Natural Reserve * Volcán Pilas El Hoyo Natural Reserve * Volcán San Cristóbal Natural Reserve *

Volcán San Cristóbal-Casita Natural Reserve Volcán San Cristóbal-Casita Natural Reserve is a nature reserve in 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, ...

* Volcán Telica Rota Natural Reserve * Volcán Yali Natural Reserve * Yolaina Natural Reserve * Yucul Genetic Reserve *

Yulu Karata Natural Reserve Yulu Karata Natural Reserve is a nature reserve in 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 th ...

* Yulu Natural Reserve * Zapatera Archipelago National Park

References

External links

MARENA
- government website
Eco-tourism in Nicaragua (The Guardian)
{{North America topic, Protected areas of

History

List of protected areas

See also

References

External links