The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve has been added to the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas, becoming the first protected area in Costa Rica to earn the international recognition and one of the world’s first private terrestrial reserves to reach the standard. The reserve, managed by the Tropical Science Center, now joins a select group of sites worldwide singled out for strong governance, effective management and measurable results for both biodiversity and the communities around them.
The designation places Monteverde among nearly 240 sites currently on the Green List across the globe. Administered by the Tropical Science Center since it was established more than five decades ago, the reserve has functioned as a living laboratory for scientific research, environmental education and biodiversity monitoring, while working alongside the surrounding Monteverde community to protect one of the country’s most emblematic cloud forests.
For readers unfamiliar with it, the IUCN Green List is a global benchmark developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Rather than measuring size or fame, it certifies protected and conserved areas that demonstrate equitable governance, sound planning, effective management and successful conservation outcomes. Reaching that bar is demanding: according to the reserve’s evaluation, Monteverde was assessed against four components, 17 criteria and more than 50 indicators, covering governance, planning, management, community participation, scientific evidence and verifiable conservation results.
Costa Rica’s path to the listing involved creating the country’s first Green List Expert Assessment Group, which reviewed the evidence, carried out field visits and verified that the reserve complied with the standard. That work then passed through an independent review before the final decision was confirmed. The recognition also links Monteverde to the broader international goal of conserving 30 percent of the planet’s land and water by 2030 under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Mario Roa, executive director of the Tropical Science Center, framed the recognition as the culmination of a long institutional record. “As a pioneering conservation organization for six decades, this is a major international recognition of a legacy of positive results in strong governance and effective management of a protected area,” Roa said. “The Monteverde Reserve is a living laboratory that has provided long-term ecosystem services through concrete actions such as education, monitoring, and research.”
The reserve’s decades of work have made Monteverde one of the best-known names in Costa Rican conservation and ecotourism. Its cloud forest protects habitat for birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and plants, safeguards water resources, and continues to draw researchers, students and visitors from around the world to the mist-shrouded slopes of the Cordillera de Tilarán.
Úrsula Parrilla, the IUCN’s Regional Director for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, said the inclusion illustrates what protected areas can achieve when conservation is backed by long-term planning, science and community support. “The inclusion of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve on the IUCN Green List demonstrates that excellence in conservation is possible when there is a long-term vision, strong governance, science-based management, and a deep commitment to local communities,” Parrilla said. She added that the recognition positions Costa Rica as a regional and global leader in applying high standards for effective and equitable conservation.
The designation could also serve as a model for other Costa Rican parks and reserves. The Green List is built not only as an award but as a tool for continuous improvement, giving protected areas a framework to strengthen their governance, planning and conservation results over time.
For Monteverde, the listing opens a new stage rather than closing the process: the reserve will remain under monitoring for the next five years to ensure it maintains and improves the standards that earned it the recognition, adding another verifiable international marker to Costa Rica’s long-cultivated reputation as a conservation leader.
