The Bosawás Biosphere Reserve evolved from the Sandinista revolution. The Sandinista government had granted two regions of the Caribbean coast to be governed autonomously by the indigenous population. The subsequent Chamorro government set aside three large reserves, Bosawás being the largest, with its nucleus comprising approximately 7% of Nicaragua's total land area (the rest constitutes the reserve's buffer zone). The creation of Bosawás was considered a violation of the region's constitutionally guaranteed territorial autonomy.