Living in Costa Rica
How Costa Rica Became A Global Conservation Success Story
Discover how Costa Rica reversed severe deforestation, expanded protected areas and rebuilt a global reputation for nature conservation.
3 min read
A COUNTRY THAT BROUGHT ITS FORESTS BACK.
Some conservation stories begin with untouched wilderness.
Costa Rica’s is more complicated—and more interesting.
During the twentieth century, the country lost large areas of forest. Then the direction changed.
Protected areas expanded. Forest law evolved. Costa Rica created institutions to manage conservation at a national scale and developed incentives, including payments for environmental services, that encouraged landowners to conserve and restore forest.
Today, World Bank data show forest area covering 60.4% of Costa Rica’s land area in 2023.
FROM LOSS TO RECOVERY
SINAC traces a series of milestones: the creation of Cabo Blanco as the country’s first biological reserve in 1963; development of the national parks system; stronger wildlife and forest laws; and the creation of SINAC under the 1998 Biodiversity Law.
SINAC’s 2024 statistical report lists 11 conservation areas and 152 protected areas, with 25.46% of continental territory and 30.34% of marine territory protected.
Costa Rica is also extraordinarily biodiverse. Different official and tourism sources cite approximate shares; SINAC materials use approximately 6.5%, and a biodiversity percentage should not be treated as an exact count.
THE WORLD KEEPS NOTICING
In September 2026, El Observador reported that National Geographic Traveler Germany devoted 11 pages to Costa Rica, describing the country as a “treasure of nature” and moving through landscapes from Pacuare and San Gerardo de Dota to the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado.
The attention is understandable. Costa Rica’s nature story is not contained in a single iconic park. It is distributed across cloud forest, rainforest, dry forest, mangroves, mountains, rivers, beaches and marine ecosystems.
What distinguishes the country is not simply abundance.
It is the decision to make that abundance part of national identity.
AROUND 5% OF THE WORLD’S KNOWN BIODIVERSITY.
MORE THAN HALF THE COUNTRY UNDER FOREST COVER.
A COUNTRY THAT CHOSE NATURE.
World Bank data show Costa Rica’s forest area at 60.4% of land area in 2023. SINAC describes roughly 25% of the national territory as protected through its wild protected-area system.
CONSERVATION IS NOT THE SAME AS DECORATION
For luxury development, Costa Rica’s environmental reputation creates a responsibility.
“Tropical” cannot simply mean adding palms around architecture. A stronger approach begins by asking how buildings relate to climate, planting, water, shade, light and existing landscape.
That distinction is central to the Sueños del Mar philosophy.
THE SUEÑOS DEL MAR CONNECTION
Sueños del Mar is designed around the idea of living with nature rather than treating it as scenery.
Guacamayos Forest creates a one-kilometer trail around the community plus El Dosel, an elevated experience of walkways and four forest platforms. Residences emphasize indoor-outdoor living. Tropical gardens connect shared spaces. The community’s amenity worlds distribute wellness, recreation and gathering through the landscape rather than isolating them inside one building.
This does not make Sueños del Mar a national park, nor should it pretend to.
It makes the project’s ambition simpler: to build a private residential community that feels appropriate to a country whose strongest luxury may be the nature it chose to protect.
Questions & answers
How much of Costa Rica is forested?
World Bank data report forest area equal to 60.4% of Costa Rica’s land area in 2023.
How much of Costa Rica is protected?
SINAC currently describes approximately 25% of the national territory as protected within its system of wild protected areas.
Does Costa Rica really contain 5% of the world’s biodiversity?
An approximate share is commonly cited, but it should not be read as an exact count. SINAC materials use approximately 6.5%, while other sources report lower rounded figures.