Nature sanctuaries have been defined as those lad or ocean sites that provide for the possibility of developing geological, paleontological, zoological, botanical or ecological research, and whose natural formations conservation is of interest to science or the state.

Law No. 20,417 established the Ministry of the Environment in 2010, amending article 31 of the Law on Monuments, and creating the Council of Ministers for Sustainability, whose mission is to propose the creation of new protected areas to the President of the Republic.

Cruz de Piedra was granted the status of Nature Sanctuary by unanimous vote of the Council of Ministers for Sustainability and Climate Change on September 4, 2023, through Decree No. 34, which was published in the official gazette on November 30 of the same year.