Property: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste
Id. N°: 928
State Party: Costa Rica
Criteria: N (ii) (iv)
The Committee decided to inscribe the Guanacaste Conservation Area on the World Heritage List under criteria (ii) and (iv).
The site demonstrates significant, major biological and ecological processes in both its terrestrial and marine-coastal environments, as exemplified by: a) evolution, succession and restoration of Pacific Tropical Dry Forest; b) altitudinal migration and other interactive biogeographic and ecological processes along its dry forest - montane humid forest - cloud forest - lowland Caribbean rain forest transect; and, c) the major upwelling and development of coral colonies and reefs in regions long considered to not have either (the marine area near the coast of the Murcielago sector of Santa Rosa National Park).
The site contains important natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity (2.4% of global diversity), including both the best dry forest habitats and communities in Central America and key habitat for threatened animal species such as the Saltwater Crocodile, False Vampire Bat, Leatherback Sea Turtle, Jaguar, Jabiru Stork, Mangrove Hummingbird and threatened plant species such as Mahogany, Guyacan Real (Lignum Vitae), five species each of rare cacti and rare bromeliads.