Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Becomes Costa Rica's First Site On IUCN Green List

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Published on Wednesday, July 8, 2026

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve has become the first protected area in Costa Rica to be added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas, joining a select group of sites recognized for excellence in conservation management.

The designation also makes Monteverde one of the first privately managed nature reserves in the world to receive the recognition.

Founded in 1972 and managed by the Tropical Science Center (CCT), an IUCN member organization, the reserve protects 4,125 hectares (10,193 acres) of cloud forest along the Tilarán Mountain Range in the provinces of Puntarenas and Alajuela.

The reserve maintains a long-running research and biological monitoring program that generates scientific data to support conservation efforts and protected area management. It also operates an environmental education program that reaches more than 1,200 local schoolchildren each year, promoting biodiversity conservation from an early age.

The IUCN Green List is the global standard for recognizing protected and conserved areas that demonstrate equitable governance, effective management and measurable conservation results that benefit both biodiversity and people.

The Green List includes nearly 240 sites worldwide and is considered one of the leading international mechanisms for promoting continuous improvement in protected area management. It also serves as a complementary indicator for Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to ensure the effective and equitable conservation of 30% of the planet's land and water by 2030.

To earn Green List status, protected areas must complete a rigorous independent evaluation based on four components, 17 criteria and more than 50 indicators.

The assessment examines governance, planning, protected area management, participation by local communities and key stakeholders, the use of scientific evidence, and demonstrated conservation outcomes.

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In Costa Rica, the process included establishing the country's first Green List Expert Assessment Group, or EAGL, to review supporting evidence, conduct field inspections and verify compliance with the Green List Standard.

The findings were then validated through an independent external review before the IUCN Green List International Panel confirmed the reserve's designation.

"The inclusion of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve on the IUCN Green List demonstrates that excellence in conservation is achievable through a long-term vision, strong governance, science-based management, and a deep commitment to local communities," said Úrsula Parrilla, IUCN regional representative for Latin America.

"This recognition not only celebrates the extraordinary work carried out by the Tropical Science Center, an IUCN member, for more than five decades, but also positions Costa Rica as a regional and global leader in implementing the highest standards for effective and equitable conservation," she said.

The designation marks the beginning of a new phase for the Monteverde Reserve. During the next five years, the IUCN will continue monitoring and verifying that the protected area maintains the standards required for Green List status.

The reserve is home to more than 800 plant species, 160 species of amphibians and reptiles, numerous bird species (including long-distance migratory birds) as well as marsupials, rodents, bats, primates, porcupines, wild cats, peccaries, deer, tapirs and many other wildlife species.

More than 70,000 people visit the reserve each year.

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Which Costa Rican protected area should be next on the IUCN Green List? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com