The Guanacaste Conservation Area, located in Northwest Costa Rica, is a 163,000 hectares (630 sq mi) expanse of protected land and sea.

As part of the Zapandí Riverine Wetlands reserve, this watershed is of great ecological and agricultural value, providing habitat for aquatic organisms and a source of irrigation for farming land.

[3] Areas of unique value are the Bahía Potrero Grande and the Laguna Respingue located in the southern peninsula of Santa Elena.

[4][8] The foundation for the Guanacaste Conservation Area (ACG) was established in the mid-20th century as Costa Rica began to prioritize the protection of its natural resources.

Santa Rosa National Park was specifically aimed at safeguarding the region's tropical dry forests, an ecosystem that is both unique and endangered.

[9] A pivotal moment in the development of the Guanacaste Conservation Area (ACG) occurred with the involvement of Dr. Daniel Janzen, an ecologist from the United States.

[10] Their comprehensive strategy encompassed several key initiatives: This visionary approach culminated in the formal establishment of the ACG in the 1990s, unifying Santa Rosa, Guanacaste, Rincón de la Vieja, and Junquillal Bay national parks into a single administrative entity.

A major issue with this was fire spreading from the new grasslands that resulted from land clearing to the remaining tropical dry forest fragments.

[4] Guanacaste Conservation Area started with the creation of the 10,400-acre (4,200 ha) Santa Rosa National Park in 1971 under the Executive Decree 1562-A/71.

Originally proposed by Daniel H. Janzen and his wife, Winnie Hallwachs, in 1986, Guanacaste National Park was established in 1989 by Executive Decree 19124-MIRENEM/89.

Further adding to the protected area was the acquisition of 2,000 acres (810 ha) of farms with forests and pastures between the Cacao and Rincón de la Vieja volcanos.

[13] Some bird species present include the keel-billed toucan, elegant trogon, white-throated magpie-jay, blue-winged teal, laughing falcon, mangrove hummingbird, great curassow, jabiru, roseate spoonbill and the scarlet macaw.

[12] In recent decades, there have been efforts to restore dry forest habitats in the province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, which is where the conservation area is located.

"[13] The Guanacaste Conservation Area provides students with the opportunity to learn about three different types of ecosystems and the living organisms that inhabit these places.

[4] Researching specific marine species and learning the natural history of the living organisms in the area are a few of the many activities that students participate in to engage with their surroundings.

With the efforts put in by both management and tourists, Guanacaste Conservation Area can use its natural surroundings for both pleasurable and educational purposes.

The research program allows people to use the conservation area to study organisms and their habitat as long as they abide by the rules of protection.

By working with researchers that study in Guanacaste, the people from the park gain new knowledge and scientific information in conservation efforts, as well as biodiversity, every year.

A volunteer organization, known as Investigadores ACG (iACG), also helps individuals in their research process by providing online tools and information about the Conservation area.