The national park system was created in
1969, and was largely a one-man operation within the ministry
of agriculture and livestock (MAG: Ministerio de Agricultura
y Ganadería). The national park service was not the
only ministry involved in conservation: two other agencies
were the ministry of the environment (MAE: Ministerio del
Ambiente) and the ministry of forestry and wildlife (Ministerio
de la Vida Silvestre). As the conservation movement grew,
the situation arose in which there were multiple agencies
managing adjacent or even overlapping areas. As each ministry
had different objectives and procedures, the result was chaos
and inefficiencies.
In 1995 the three organizations were joined into a separate
entity, the national system of conservation areas, or SINAC
(Sistema Nacionál de Areas de Conservación).
One of the keystones of SINAC is the idea of sustainable development
and the incorporation of the whole country into conservation
areas. Furthermore, a major effort was placed on local, public
participation. In order for conservation to be sustainable,
it must be accepted by local inhabitants, who must be given
some decision-making capacities in the process. Under the
new system, Costa Rica was divided up into some 11 conservation
areas. Each area had its headquarters and command structure
in order to quickly respond to local needs and conditions.
However, each area is responsible for its own capital resources,
meaning that some popular parks get most of the tourists’
money, while other less accessible parks do not even have
the funds needed for basic park protection
