Joint efforts by the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Ministerio del Ambiente y Energía, MINAE), IUCN and nongovernmental organizations in Costa Rica have led to the identification of wetlands with international importance and their inclusion in the Ramsar database. These include:

• Palo Verde National Park
• Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge
• Tamarindo Wildlife Refuge

2. Thematic Area

Development Objective:
Establish a national wetland conservation and management strategy, as the foundation for clearly defining their role and management within the context of Costa Rica's development

Specific Objectives:

• Mobilize the public opinion and concern necessary for keeping wetlands from being degraded and for achieving wise management of their resources
• Establish the appropriate instruments (scientific, socioeconomic, legal and administrative) for sound planning on wetlands use and management
• Strengthen and solidify the organizations responsible for wetlands management and control in Costa Rica
• Promote participation by government and private sectors and civil society in the preparation of local or sub-regional strategies for wetlands-based sustainable development

Problem:
The central problem has been identified as "the loss and degradation of these ecosystems due to the absence of effective conservation and management of their resources."

The main causes of the problem are:

• Lack of awareness regarding the benefits provided by wetlands
• Absence of integrated and sustainable management of wetlands resources
• Absence of integrated planning

Characteristics:
To achieve strategy objectives, past and present activities include the following:

• An appraisal and an inventory have been made of the country's principal wetland areas
• Incorporation of personnel from the Conservation Areas in the Strategy process, through visits to the field and their participation in various consultative workshops
• Compilation of legal information on wetlands, as well as the preparation of various documents
• Training

Target group:
Due to the character of the national strategy, the project is directed at a broad range of groups:

Products:
Some of the finished products/outcomes thus far are:

• Workshop reports
• Manual on legal aspects of wetlands management in Costa Rica
• Map of Costa Rican wetlands and a database for these ecosystems
• Database of specialists and institutions related to wetlands and coastal zones in Costa Rica
• Database on the appraisal and inventory process carried out for the major wetlands
• Formation of an inter-institutional group of specialists that periodically collaborates on a volunteer basis with respect to the search for and strengthening of wetlands conservation and management
• The proposal, "Training of managers and decision makers in conservation and management of wetlands"
• Initial incorporation of Conservation Area personnel in the Strategy process