{ "id": "nexus-ext-1-0034-155992", "citation": "Res. 01087-2015 Tribunal Agrario", "section": "nexus_decisions", "doc_type": "court_decision", "title_es": "Patrimonio Natural del Estado y cómputo de posesión decenal en reserva forestal", "title_en": "State Natural Heritage and computation of decennial possession in forest reserves", "summary_es": "La nota separada de la jueza Alvarado Paniagua analiza la naturaleza demanial del Patrimonio Natural del Estado, conformado por bosques y terrenos forestales en reservas nacionales. Expone la evolución normativa desde el Código Fiscal de 1865 hasta la Ley Forestal 7575, destacando los principios de inalienabilidad, imprescriptibilidad e inembargabilidad que impiden la posesión privada de estos bienes. El voto principal sostenía que el promovente debía acreditar posesión decenal anterior al decreto de creación de la Reserva Forestal Los Santos. La jueza disidente corrige este cómputo: establece que la ley de referencia para la posesión decenal es la Ley de Tierras y Colonización núm. 2825 de 1961, no el decreto de la reserva, y que el promovente no demostró los diez años de posesión requeridos bajo esa normativa. Concluye que la información posesoria debe denegarse porque el inmueble es Patrimonio Natural del Estado y la posesión alegada es ilegítima.", "summary_en": "The separate note of Judge Alvarado Paniagua analyzes the public domain nature of the State Natural Heritage, composed of forests and forest lands in national reserves. It traces the regulatory evolution from the 1865 Fiscal Code to Forestry Law 7575, emphasizing the principles of inalienability, imprescriptibility, and unattachability that preclude private possession of such assets. The main vote held that the petitioner needed to prove decennial possession prior to the decree creating the Los Santos Forest Reserve. The dissenting judge corrects this computation: it establishes that the reference law for decennial possession is the Lands and Colonization Law No. 2825 of 1961, not the reserve decree, and that the petitioner failed to demonstrate the required ten years of possession under that framework. It concludes that the possessory information must be denied because the property is State Natural Heritage and the claimed possession is illegitimate.", "court_or_agency": "Tribunal Agrario", "date": "2015", "year": "2015", "topic_ids": [ "forestry-law-7575", "property-and-titling" ], "primary_topic_id": "property-and-titling", "es_concept_hints": [ "demanialidad", "posesión decenal", "información posesoria", "inalienabilidad", "imprescriptibilidad", "Patrimonio Natural del Estado", "Reserva Nacional" ], "concept_anchors": [ { "article": "Art. 8", "law": "Ley de Tierras y Colonización" }, { "article": "Art. 11", "law": "Ley de Tierras y Colonización" }, { "article": "Art. 14", "law": "Ley Forestal" }, { "article": "Art. 7", "law": "Ley de Informaciones Posesorias" }, { "article": "Art. 262", "law": "Código Civil" } ], "keywords_es": [ "Patrimonio Natural del Estado", "posesión decenal", "reserva forestal", "información posesoria", "demanialidad", "inalienabilidad", "imprescriptibilidad", "Ley de Tierras y Colonización 2825", "Ley Forestal 7575", "Tribunal Agrario" ], "keywords_en": [ "State Natural Heritage", "decennial possession", "forest reserve", "possessory information", "public domain", "inalienability", "imprescriptibility", "Lands and Colonization Law 2825", "Forestry Law 7575", "Agrarian Court" ], "excerpt_es": "Cuando se discute la posesión sobre un bien demanial, sólo cabrá esa discusión cuando se haya adquirido el derecho antes de que se haya declarado el bien como de dominio público. Así mismo, el derecho de propiedad en tales casos sólo podrá obtenerse cuando el titular haya demostrado una posesión decenal, ejercida por lo menos con diez años de antelación a la fecha de vigencia de la ley que declara el objeto como Patrimonio Natural del Estado. Como ya se ha expuesto la cronología legal que tutela el Patrimonio Natural del Estado, la ley que debe tomarse en consideración para realizar el cómputo de la posesión decenal de los particulares, es la Ley de Tierras y Colonización número 2825 del 14 de octubre de 1961, normativa actualmente vigente. ... Para el caso concreto, de la prueba testimonial recabada no se demuestra esa posesión decenal en los términos de la normativa aquí expuesta, pues en este sentido es que se consigna esta nota, para indicar el promovente debió demostrar diez años de posesión antes de la Ley de Tierras y Colonización, y no del Decreto que creó la referida Reserva Forestal Los Santos, como se afirma en el voto que antecede.", "excerpt_en": "When possession over a public domain asset is discussed, such discussion is only admissible when the right was acquired before the asset was declared public domain. Furthermore, property rights in such cases may only be obtained when the holder has demonstrated decennial possession, exercised at least ten years prior to the effective date of the law declaring the object as State Natural Heritage. As the legal chronology protecting the State Natural Heritage has been set forth, the law to be considered for computing the decennial possession of private individuals is the Lands and Colonization Law No. 2825 of October 14, 1961, currently in force. ... In this specific case, the testimonial evidence gathered does not demonstrate such decennial possession under the terms of the regulations set forth herein, which is the purpose of this note: to indicate that the petitioner should have proved ten years of possession prior to the Lands and Colonization Law, and not prior to the Decree that created the Los Santos Forest Reserve, as stated in the preceding vote.", "outcome": { "label_en": "Dissenting separate note", "label_es": "Nota separada disidente", "summary_en": "Judge Alvarado Paniagua corrects the computation of decennial possession, establishing that the reference law is the Lands and Colonization Law of 1961, and that the petitioner failed to prove the required ten years of possession, so the possessory information must be denied.", "summary_es": "La jueza Alvarado Paniagua corrige el cómputo de la posesión decenal, estableciendo que la ley de referencia es la Ley de Tierras y Colonización de 1961, y que el promovente no acreditó los diez años de posesión requeridos, por lo que la información posesoria debe denegarse." }, "pull_quotes": [ { "context": "Considerando V", "quote_en": "The State Forest Heritage is a public domain asset regulated by a broad set of norms in which, historically to date, private individuals are prohibited from performing any type of activity within properties of that nature, consequently denying them the right to possession.", "quote_es": "El Patrimonio Forestal del Estado, es un bien Demanial regulado en un amplio conjunto normativo en el que históricamente hasta la actualidad se prohibe a los particulares realizar cualquier tipo de labor dentro de los inmuebles con esa característica y como consecuencia negándoles el derecho de posesión." }, { "context": "Considerando V", "quote_en": "When possession over a public domain asset is discussed, such discussion is only admissible when the right was acquired before the asset was declared public domain.", "quote_es": "Cuando se discute la posesión sobre un bien demanial, sólo cabrá esa discusión cuando se haya adquirido el derecho antes de que se haya declarado el bien como de dominio público." }, { "context": "Considerando V", "quote_en": "The law to be considered for computing the decennial possession of private individuals is the Lands and Colonization Law No. 2825 of October 14, 1961, currently in force.", "quote_es": "La ley que debe tomarse en consideración para realizar el cómputo de la posesión decenal de los particulares, es la Ley de Tierras y Colonización número 2825 del 14 de octubre de 1961, normativa actualmente vigente." } ], "cites": [], "cited_by": [], "references": { "internal": [], "external": [] }, "source_url": "https://nexuspj.poder-judicial.go.cr/document/ext-1-0034-155992", "tier": 2, "_editorial_citation_count": 0, "regulations_by_article": null, "amendments_by_article": null, "dictamen_by_article": null, "concordancias_by_article": null, "afectaciones_by_article": null, "resoluciones_by_article": null, "cited_by_votos": [], "cited_norms": [], "cited_norms_inverted": [ { "doc_id": "norm-10044", "norm_num": "139", "norm_name": "Ley de Informaciones Posesorias", "tipo_norma": "Ley", "norm_fecha": "14/07/1941" }, { "doc_id": "norm-12648", "norm_num": "7317", "norm_name": "Ley de Conservación de la Vida Silvestre", "tipo_norma": "Ley", "norm_fecha": "30/10/1992" }, { "doc_id": "norm-32840", "norm_num": "2825", "norm_name": "Ley de Tierras y Colonización", "tipo_norma": "Ley", "norm_fecha": "14/10/1961" }, { "doc_id": "norm-41661", "norm_num": "7575", "norm_name": "Ley Forestal", "tipo_norma": "Ley", "norm_fecha": "13/02/1996" } ], "sentencias_relacionadas": [], "temas_y_subtemas": [], "cascade_only": false, "amendment_count": 0, "body_es_text": "“V.- NOTA EXPUESTA POR LA JUEZA [[Nombre1]] : El Dominio Público -para el caso que nos interesa- es el conjunto de bienes propiedad pública del Estado, lato sensu, afectados al uso público directo o indirecto, de los habitantes, y sometido a un régimen especial de derecho público y, por tanto, exorbitante del derecho privado. El dominio público se encuentra conformado por cuatro elementos: subjetivo, objetivo, normativo y teleológico. El elemento subjetivo se refiere al titular del derecho -El Estado-; el elemento objetivo se refiere o se constituye por el bien o los bienes sobre los cuales recae el dominio público -para este caso el inmueble objeto de litigio- ; el elemento normativo determina cuando un bien reúne los requisitos señalados por ley para considerarlo demanial, es el conjunto de normas que lo rigen -elenco de normas que en adelante se dirán-; y el elemento teleológico que se refiere a la finalidad que se persigue al incluir determinado bien dentro del dominio público, qué finalidad pública es asignada al bien -en este caso la protección de los recursos naturales-. Los bienes de dominio público están sometidos a un régimen jurídico especial, se encuentran sujetos a un poder de policía, y se caracterizan esencialmente por su inalienabilidad e imprescriptibilidad. Por su naturaleza están dirigidos a satisfacer necesidades públicas, este hecho impide que sobre ellos exista tenencia o posesión por parte de particulares o personas privadas, están fuera del comercio del derecho privado. Nuestra Constitución Política en su artículo 121 inciso 14) hace referencia a la Demanialidad indicando qué bienes son susceptibles de ese régimen de propiedad pública, incluso estableciéndose en ese artículo diferentes grados de afectación pública dándose un grado de publicatio intenso y absoluto hasta otros grados menos intenso y se armonizan los derechos de los administrados con las potestades de la Administración. Nuestro Código Civil vigente que data desde el mes de abril de mil ochocientos ochenta y seis, regula las bases más importantes en materia de bienes de dominio público, concretamente en sus artículos 261 al 263. El artículo 262 del citado Código Civil, hace referencia a dos características importantes de los bienes de dominio público: a- las cosas públicas están fuera del comercio, y b- se establece la desafectación al decir que esos bienes no pueden entrar en el comercio privado, mientras legalmente no se disponga así. Como puede observarse la afectación al régimen de dominio público no depende de la naturaleza del bien, sino de la voluntad del legislador. Mediante voto número 447-91 de las quince horas treinta minutos del 21 de febrero de 1991 la Sala Constitucional manifiesta que la declaración de dominio público del bien se establece por ley, esta declaración no constituye una limitación a la propiedad, de acuerdo con el artículo 45 de la Carta Magna, pues éste artículo se refiere a propiedad privada, y los bienes de dominio público no están sujetos a propiedad privada. El Patrimonio Forestal del Estado, es un bien Demanial regulado en un amplio conjunto normativo en el que históricamente hasta la actualidad se prohibe a los particulares realizar cualquier tipo de labor dentro de los inmuebles con esa característica y como consecuencia negándoles el derecho de posesión, haciéndose una salvedad en una situación específica que más adelante se dirá. Se considera como Patrimonio Estatal, -en su condición de Demanio Público que implica los principios de imprescriptibilidad, inalienabilidad, e inembargabilidad-, los terrenos que constituyen Reservas Nacionales que tengan Bosques. Lo anterior encuentra su desarrollo normativo en las citas que a continuación se exponen: 1) El Código Fiscal de 1865 el cual contempla un capítulo referido a los bosques, el cual fue derogado por la Ley General de Terrenos Baldíos Número trece del 6 de enero de 1939 la cual incorporaba prácticamente las mismas disposiciones. Por ejemplo el artículo primero indicaba: \"Que los terrenos comprendidos en los límites de la República, que no hayan sido adquiridos o inscritos en propiedad mediante título legítimo por particulares, se presumen baldíos y pertenecen al Estado.\"- Esta ley en general regula la prohibición para poseer e inscribir mediante el trámite de informaciones posesorias las Reservas Nacionales que sean Patrimonio Forestal, en otras palabras no son susceptibles de apropiación por parte de particulares.- La Ley de Tierras y Colonización Número 2825 del 14 de octubre de 1961 mantuvo la misma orientación y se encuentra vigente en la actualidad desde aquella fecha. Así el artículo 8 de esa Ley de Tierras y Colonización establece: \"Exceptuado los casos previstos en esta ley es prohibido a los particulares encerrar con cercas, carriles, o cualquier otra forma los terrenos declarados Reservas Nacionales, derribar montes, establecer construcciones y cultivos o extraer de ellos leña, madera, bejuco, palma, y otros productos con fines de explotación. Todo acto de ese genero, si de previo no se han llenado los trámites legales y obtenido la autorización correspondiente será considerado, según el caso como usurpación de dominio público o merodeo, debiendo las autoridades ordenar la destrucción y remoción de las cercas e impedir el uso de esas tierras, sin lugar a indemnización ni a reclamos por el valor de las mejoras y sin perjuicio de otras responsabilidades que pudieran caber a quienes incurrieren en tales faltas\".- Nótese que este artículo sanciona penalmente a aquel que se introdujere a una reserva Nacional para realizar cualquier actividad en esas tierras, por lo que no se le pueda considerar a ésta acto de posesión pues su actividad sería ilegítima.- El artículo 11 de esa misma Ley, establece que pertenecen al Estado en carácter de Reservas Nacionales: \"a) Todos los terrenos comprendidos entre los límites de la República que no esten inscritos como propiedad particular, de las Municipalidades o de las Instituciones Autonómas. b-) Los que no esten amparados por la posesión decenal.- c-) Los que por leyes especiales, no hayan sido destinados a la formación de colonias agrícolas.- d-) En general todo los que, no siendo de propiedad particular, no estén ocupados en servicios públicos.\"- Por su parte el artículo 19 de la Ley Forestal derogada número 4465 del veintitrés de noviembre de mil novecientos sesenta y nueve dispuso: \"Quedan afectados a los fines de la presente ley todos los bosques y terrenos forestales ubicados en: \"a-) Las tierras consideradas Reservas Nacionales...\" Y el artículo 25 de esta misma ley señalaba: \"La posesión de los terrenos situados en las Reservas Nacionales y fincas del Estado a que se refiere el artículo 19 de esta Ley, no causará derechos de ninguna especie y la acción reivindicatoria del Estado, por los mismos, es imprescriptible, y la Dirección General Forestal con los medios legales a su disposición, procederá a desalojar de tales terrenos a las personas que los ocupan total o parcialmente, en el caso de que se trate de zonas protectoras, Parques Nacionales, Reservas Forestales, y Reservas Biológicas\".- Con estas normas se otorga a los bosques allí mencionados una doble tutela: Primero por su condición de Reserva Nacional, en las que es prohibido realizar cualquier acto posesorio y segundo por constituir Patrimonio Forestal del Estado en el que ningún acto de posesión causará derecho de ninguna especie. Este aspecto se ve confirmado con el artículo 8 del reglamento a esa ley que dice: \"Los terrenos Nacionales comprendidos dentro de las áreas declaradas Reservas Forestales son inalienables, es decir no podrán salir del dominio del Estado, y su posesión no causará derecho de ninguna especie de conformidad con lo dispuesto por los artículos 25, 49 y 57 de la Ley Forestal\".- El artículo 80 de la citada Ley Forestal derogada indicaba: \"Queda prohibido la invasión y ocupación de terrenos en los Parques Nacionales, Reservas Forestales y Zonas Protectoras. Esta prohibición se extiende hasta las Reservas Nacionales, hasta tanto no se haya determinado su clasificación y transferencia...\" El artículo 6 de esta misma ley disponía: \" Será sancionado con prisión de seis meses a dos años o con multa de quince a cien días, la persona que: a-) Explote un bosque de patrimonio forestal sin autorización legal correspondiente... b-) Invada un Parque Nacional, Reserva Biológica, Zona Protectora o Reserva Forestal...Si la invasión es en Reservas Nacionales, estará sujeta a lo estipulado en el artículo 227 del Código Penal.-\" Como puede observarse los actos posesorios realizados en un bosque patrimonio Estatal resultan ser ilegítimos por lo que no pueden conferir ningún derecho de posesión.- Con la entrada en vigencia de la Ley Forestal Número 7174 del 28 de junio de 1990, se continúa con esta misma filosofía. En el artículo 32 de la citada ley establece: \"El patrimonio forestal del Estado esta constituído por todos los bosques y terrenos forestales de las Reservas Nacionales...\". El artículo 33 de esa misma ley dispone: \"Los terrenos forestales y bosques que constituyen el Patrimonio Forestal del Estado detallados en el artículo anterior, serán inembargables e inalienables, su posesión por los particulares no causará derecho alguno a su favor y la acción reivindicatoria del Estado por esos terrenos es imprescriptible.- En consecuencia, no son susceptibles de inscripción en el Registro Público mediante Información Posesoria, su invasión y ocupación será sancionados conforme lo dispuesto en esta Ley\".- Con la actual Ley Forestal vigente número 7575 del 5 de febrero de 1996, en su título II regula un capítulo único referido exclusivamente al Patrimonio Natural del Estado, siendo la misma filosofía que se había iniciado desde 1865 con el Código Fiscal, por lo que se reitera en esta nueva normativa que el Patrimonio Natural del Estado estará constituído por los bosques y terrenos forestales de las reservas nacionales, de las áreas declaradas inalienables, y las fincas inscritas a nombre de la Administración Pública. El artículo 14 de la misma ley forestal vigente es enfática en indicar que los terrenos forestales y bosques que constituyen el patrimonio natural del Estado son imprescriptibles, inembargables e inalienables y su posesión por los particulares no causará derecho alguno a su favor. La Ley de Conservación de la Vida Silvestre Número 7317 del 21 de octubre de 1972, en sus artículos 3 y 4, además de la declaratoria como de dominio público e interés público, a la fauna y flora silvestre respectivamente, se indica que la flora y fauna silvestre es parte del Patrimonio Nacional. En este mismo sentido la Ley de Biodiversidad número 7788 del 30 de abril de 1998 en su artículo 6 declara los elementos de la biodiversidad como de dominio público, así como la Ley Orgánica del Ambiente en su artículo 46 que establece la soberanía del Estado sobre la diversidad biológica. Por lo expuesto resulta un imperativo legal negar el derecho de posesión a aquellas personas que realizaran cualquier actividad en terrenos no sometidos a propiedad privada y que estén constituídos por bosques en reservas Nacionales.- A esa prohibición imperativa mediante la Ley Forestal Número 7575 del año 1996, que reforma el artículo 7 de la Ley de Informaciones Posesorias, posibilita la titulación de bosques cuando dentro de los mismos se haya desarrollado lo que se entiende como posesión ecológica. El terreno objeto de esta información posesoria, es Patrimonio Natural del Estado, pues está compuesto en parte por bosque ubicado dentro de la Reserva Forestal Río Pacuare, lo que es claro dicho territorio es Patrimonio Natural del Estado, desde antes de que fuera creada mediante Decreto como ya se expuso en el historial normativo supra. Cuando se discute la posesión sobre un bien demanial, sólo cabrá esa discusión cuando se haya adquirido el derecho antes de que se haya declarado el bien como de dominio público. Así mismo, el derecho de propiedad en tales casos sólo podrá obtenerse cuando el titular haya demostrado una posesión decenal, ejercida por lo menos con diez años de antelación a la fecha de vigencia de la ley que declara el objeto como Patrimonio Natural del Estado. Como ya se ha expuesto la cronología legal que tutela el Patrimonio Natural del Estado, la ley que debe tomarse en consideración para realizar el cómputo de la posesión decenal de los particulares, es la Ley de Tierras y Colonización número 2825 del 14 de octubre de 1961, normativa actualmente vigente. No debe considerarse el Código Fiscal de 1865 y la Ley de Terrenos Baldíos de 1939, pues fueron normas que hacían referencia al tópico en forma genérica, además que no son disposiciones vigentes en la actualidad, no es sino hasta con la actual Ley de Tierras y Colonización que se viene a definir y regular en forma clara la Propiedad o Patrimonio Natural del Estado. Las leyes posteriores como Ley Forestal y otras que se han citado en este considerando, son complementarias a la referida Ley de Tierras y Colonización. Para el caso concreto, de la prueba testimonial recabada no se demuestra esa posesión decenal en los términos de la normativa aquí expuesta, pues en este sentido es que se consigna esta nota, para indicar el promovente debió demostrar diez años de posesión antes de la Ley de Tierras y Colonización, y no del Decreto que creó la referida Reserva Forestal Los Santos, como se afirma en el voto que antecede.”", "body_en_text": "“**V.- NOTE PRESENTED BY JUDGE [[Nombre1]]:** Public Domain (Dominio Público) -for the case at hand- is the set of assets that are public property of the State, lato sensu, allocated to direct or indirect public use by the inhabitants, and subject to a special regime of public law and, therefore, exorbitant from private law. The public domain is comprised of four elements: subjective, objective, normative, and teleological. The subjective element refers to the holder of the right -the State-; the objective element refers to or is constituted by the asset or assets over which the public domain falls -for this case, the real property subject to litigation-; the normative element determines when an asset meets the requirements set forth by law to be considered public domain (demanial), it is the set of rules that govern it -list of rules that will be stated hereafter-; and the teleological element refers to the purpose pursued when including a specific asset within the public domain, what public purpose is assigned to the asset -in this case, the protection of natural resources-. Public domain assets are subject to a special legal regime, are subject to police power, and are essentially characterized by their inalienability (inalienabilidad) and imprescriptibility (imprescriptibilidad). By their nature, they are intended to satisfy public needs; this fact prevents the existence of tenure or possession by individuals or private persons; they are outside the commerce of private law. Our Political Constitution, in Article 121, subsection 14, refers to Public Domain Status (Demanialidad), indicating which assets are subject to that public property regime, even establishing in that article different degrees of public allocation, ranging from an intense and absolute degree of publicatio to other less intense degrees, and harmonizing the rights of the administered with the powers of the Administration. Our current Civil Code, dating from April of eighteen eighty-six, regulates the most important bases regarding public domain assets, specifically in Articles 261 to 263. Article 262 of the cited Civil Code refers to two important characteristics of public domain assets: a- public things are outside commerce, and b- it establishes deallocation (desafectación) by stating that those assets cannot enter private commerce as long as it is not legally provided for. As can be observed, allocation to the public domain regime does not depend on the nature of the asset but on the will of the legislator. By means of ruling (voto) number 447-91 of fifteen hours thirty minutes on February 21, 1991, the Constitutional Chamber (Sala Constitucional) states that the declaration of an asset as public domain is established by law; this declaration does not constitute a limitation on property, in accordance with Article 45 of the Magna Carta, since this article refers to private property, and public domain assets are not subject to private property. The State Forest Heritage (Patrimonio Forestal del Estado) is a public domain (Demanial) asset regulated in a broad set of regulations in which, historically up to the present, private individuals are prohibited from carrying out any type of work within properties with that characteristic and, as a consequence, denying them the right of possession, with an exception being made for a specific situation that will be mentioned later. Lands that constitute National Reserves (Reservas Nacionales) containing forests are considered State Heritage (Patrimonio Estatal) -in their condition as Public Domain (Demanio Público) which implies the principles of imprescriptibility, inalienability, and unattachability (inembargabilidad)-. The foregoing finds its regulatory development in the citations set forth below: 1) The Fiscal Code (Código Fiscal) of 1865, which includes a chapter referring to forests, was repealed by the General Law on Public Lands (Ley General de Terrenos Baldíos) Number thirteen of January 6, 1939, which incorporated practically the same provisions. For example, the first article stated: \"That lands included within the limits of the Republic that have not been acquired or registered as property by legitimate title by private individuals are presumed to be public lands (baldíos) and belong to the State.\"- This law generally regulates the prohibition against possessing and registering National Reserves that are State Forest Heritage through the process of possessory informations (informaciones posesorias); in other words, they are not susceptible to appropriation by individuals.- The Land and Colonization Law (Ley de Tierras y Colonización) Number 2825 of October 14, 1961, maintained the same orientation and is currently in force as of that date. Thus, Article 8 of that Land and Colonization Law establishes: \"Except for the cases provided for in this law, it is prohibited for private individuals to enclose with fences, lanes, or any other means the lands declared National Reserves, to cut down forests, to establish constructions and crops, or to extract from them firewood, timber, bejuco, palma, and other products for exploitation purposes. Any act of this kind, if the legal procedures have not been previously completed and the corresponding authorization obtained, shall be considered, depending on the case, as usurpation of public domain or marauding, the authorities having to order the destruction and removal of the fences and prevent the use of those lands, without any right to compensation or claims for the value of the improvements (mejoras) and without prejudice to other liabilities that may apply to those who incur such offenses.\"- Note that this article criminally sanctions anyone who enters a National Reserve to carry out any activity on those lands; therefore, this cannot be considered an act of possession because their activity would be illegitimate.- Article 11 of that same Law establishes that the following belong to the State as National Reserves: \"a) All lands within the limits of the Republic that are not registered as private property, property of the Municipalities, or of the Autonomous Institutions (Instituciones Autonómas). b-) Those that are not protected by decennial possession (posesión decenal).- c-) Those that, by special laws, have not been destined for the formation of agricultural colonies.- d-) In general, all those that, not being private property, are not occupied for public services.\"- For its part, Article 19 of the repealed Forestry Law (Ley Forestal) number 4465 of November twenty-third, nineteen sixty-nine, provided: \"All forests and forest lands located in: \"a-) The lands considered National Reserves... are allocated to the purposes of this law.\" And Article 25 of this same law stated: \"The possession of lands located in the National Reserves and State farms referred to in Article 19 of this Law shall not give rise to rights of any kind, and the State's reivindicatory action for the same is imprescriptible, and the General Forestry Directorate (Dirección General Forestal), with the legal means at its disposal, shall proceed to evict from such lands the persons who totally or partially occupy them, in the case of protective zones (zonas protectoras), National Parks (Parques Nacionales), Forest Reserves (Reservas Forestales), and Biological Reserves (Reservas Biológicas).\"- With these rules, the forests mentioned therein are granted a double protection: First, due to their status as a National Reserve, in which performing any possessory act is prohibited, and second, because they constitute State Forest Heritage in which no act of possession shall give rise to rights of any kind. This aspect is confirmed by Article 8 of the regulation to that law, which states: \"The National lands included within the areas declared Forest Reserves are inalienable, that is, they may not leave the domain of the State, and their possession shall not give rise to rights of any kind in accordance with the provisions of Articles 25, 49, and 57 of the Forestry Law.\"- Article 80 of the cited repealed Forestry Law stated: \"The invasion and occupation of lands in National Parks, Forest Reserves, and Protective Zones is prohibited. This prohibition extends to National Reserves, until such time as their classification and transfer has been determined...\" Article 6 of this same law provided: \" A person who: a-) Exploits a forest of state forest heritage without the corresponding legal authorization... b-) Invades a National Park, Biological Reserve, Protective Zone, or Forest Reserve... shall be sanctioned with imprisonment of six months to two years or with a fine of fifteen to one hundred days. If the invasion is in National Reserves, it shall be subject to the provisions of Article 227 of the Penal Code.-\" As can be observed, possessory acts carried out in a State heritage forest are illegitimate and therefore cannot confer any right of possession.- With the entry into force of Forestry Law Number 7174 of June 28, 1990, this same philosophy continues. Article 32 of the cited law establishes: \"The forest heritage of the State is constituted by all the forests and forest lands of the National Reserves...\". Article 33 of that same law provides: \"The forest lands and forests that constitute the State Forest Heritage detailed in the previous article shall be unattachable and inalienable; their possession by private individuals shall not give rise to any right in their favor, and the State's reivindicatory action for those lands is imprescriptible.- Consequently, they are not susceptible to registration in the Public Registry through Possessory Information (Información Posesoria); their invasion and occupation shall be sanctioned in accordance with the provisions of this Law.\"- With the current Forestry Law in force, number 7575 of February 5, 1996, in its Title II, it regulates a single chapter referring exclusively to the Natural Heritage of the State (Patrimonio Natural del Estado), maintaining the same philosophy that had been initiated since 1865 with the Fiscal Code, therefore it is reiterated in this new regulation that the Natural Heritage of the State shall be constituted by the forests and forest lands of the national reserves, of the areas declared inalienable, and the farms registered in the name of the Public Administration (Administración Pública). Article 14 of the same current forestry law is emphatic in indicating that the forest lands and forests that constitute the natural heritage of the State are imprescriptible, unattachable, and inalienable, and their possession by private individuals shall not give rise to any right in their favor. The Wildlife Conservation Law (Ley de Conservación de la Vida Silvestre) Number 7317 of October 21, 1972, in Articles 3 and 4, in addition to the declaration as public domain and public interest for wild fauna and flora respectively, indicates that wild flora and fauna are part of the National Heritage. In this same sense, the Biodiversity Law (Ley de Biodiversidad) number 7788 of April 30, 1998, in Article 6, declares the elements of biodiversity as public domain, as does the Organic Law of the Environment (Ley Orgánica del Ambiente) in Article 46, which establishes the sovereignty of the State over biological diversity. For the foregoing reasons, it is a legal imperative to deny the right of possession to those persons who carry out any activity on lands not subject to private property and that are constituted by forests in National Reserves.- To that imperative prohibition, through Forestry Law Number 7575 of the year 1996, which reforms Article 7 of the Law of Possessory Informations (Ley de Informaciones Posesorias), it enables the titling of forests when what is understood as ecological possession (posesión ecológica) has been developed within them. The land subject to this possessory information is Natural Heritage of the State, as it is composed in part by forest located within the Río Pacuare Forest Reserve (Reserva Forestal Río Pacuare); it is clear that said territory is Natural Heritage of the State since before it was created by means of a Decree, as already set forth in the regulatory history supra. When possession of a public domain (demanial) asset is discussed, that discussion shall only be possible when the right was acquired before the asset was declared as public domain. Likewise, the right of ownership in such cases may only be obtained when the holder has demonstrated a decennial possession, exercised for at least ten years prior to the effective date of the law that declares the object as Natural Heritage of the State. As the legal chronology that protects the Natural Heritage of the State has already been set forth, the law that must be taken into consideration for computing the decennial possession of private individuals is the Ley de Tierras y Colonización number 2825 of October 14, 1961, a regulation currently in force. The Código Fiscal of 1865 and the Ley de Terrenos Baldíos of 1939 should not be considered, as they were rules that referred to the topic in a generic manner, and moreover they are not provisions currently in force; it was not until the current Ley de Tierras y Colonización that the Property or Natural Heritage of the State came to be clearly defined and regulated. The subsequent laws, such as the Ley Forestal and others that have been cited in this Considering, are complementary to the referenced Ley de Tierras y Colonización. For the specific case, the testimonial evidence gathered does not demonstrate that decennial possession under the terms of the regulations set forth herein, as this note is recorded in this sense to indicate that the petitioner should have demonstrated ten years of possession prior to the Ley de Tierras y Colonización, and not prior to the Decree that created the referenced Los Santos Forest Reserve (Reserva Forestal Los Santos), as stated in the preceding vote.\"\n\nV.- **SEPARATE OPINION PRESENTED BY JUDGE [[Nombre1]]:** Public Domain (Dominio Público) —for the case at hand— is the set of assets that are public property of the State, lato sensu, designated for direct or indirect public use by the inhabitants, and subject to a special public-law regime that is, therefore, exorbitant from private law. Public domain is comprised of four elements: subjective, objective, normative, and teleological. The subjective element refers to the holder of the right —the State—; the objective element refers to or is constituted by the asset or assets over which the public domain extends —in this case, the property in litigation—; the normative element determines when an asset meets the requirements set forth by law to be considered demanial, it is the set of rules that govern it —a list of rules to be detailed below—; and the teleological element refers to the purpose pursued by including a given asset within the public domain, the public purpose assigned to the asset —in this case, the protection of natural resources—. Public domain assets are subject to a special legal regime, they are subject to a police power, and are essentially characterized by their inalienability and imprescriptibility. By their nature, they are intended to satisfy public needs; this fact prevents private individuals or private persons from having tenure or possession over them; they are outside the commerce of private law. Our Political Constitution, in Article 121, subsection 14), refers to Demaniality, indicating which assets are susceptible to that public property regime, even establishing in that article different degrees of public designation (afectación pública), ranging from an intense and absolute degree of publicatio to other less intense degrees, harmonizing the rights of the administered parties with the powers of the Administration. Our current Civil Code, dating from April of eighteen eighty-six, regulates the most important bases regarding public domain assets, specifically in its Articles 261 to 263. Article 262 of the cited Civil Code refers to two important characteristics of public domain assets: a- public things are outside of commerce, and b- their removal from the public domain (desafectación) is established by stating that those assets cannot enter private commerce so long as it is not legally provided for. As can be observed, designation to the public domain regime does not depend on the nature of the asset, but on the will of the legislator. By means of vote number 447-91, at fifteen hours thirty minutes on February 21, 1991, the Constitutional Chamber states that the declaration of an asset as public domain is established by law; this declaration does not constitute a limitation on property, in accordance with Article 45 of the Magna Carta, because this article refers to private property, and public domain assets are not subject to private property.\n\nThe State Forest Heritage (Patrimonio Forestal del Estado) is a Demanial asset regulated in a broad set of norms in which, historically up to the present day, private individuals are prohibited from carrying out any type of work within properties with that characteristic and, as a consequence, are denied the right of possession, with an exception in a specific situation that will be detailed later. Considered as State Heritage (Patrimonio Estatal), —in its condition as Public Demanio, which implies the principles of imprescriptibility, inalienability, and unattachability— are the lands that constitute National Reserves that have Forests. The foregoing finds its regulatory development in the citations set forth below: 1) The Fiscal Code of 1865, which contains a chapter referring to forests, was repealed by the General Law of Vacant Lands (Ley General de Terrenos Baldíos) Number thirteen of January 6, 1939, which incorporated practically the same provisions. For example, the first article stated: \"That the lands comprised within the limits of the Republic, which have not been acquired or registered as property by private individuals through legitimate title, are presumed to be vacant lands (baldíos) and belong to the State.\" - This law generally regulates the prohibition against possessing and registering, through the procedure of possessory information proceedings (informaciones posesorias), the National Reserves that are Forest Heritage; in other words, they are not susceptible to appropriation by private individuals. - The Land and Colonization Law (Ley de Tierras y Colonización) Number 2825 of October 14, 1961, maintained the same orientation and has remained in force since that date to the present. Thus, Article 8 of that Law of Land and Colonization establishes: \"Except for the cases provided for in this law, it is prohibited for private individuals to enclose with fences, lanes, or any other form, the lands declared National Reserves, to cut down forests, establish constructions and crops, or extract from them firewood, lumber, lianas, palm, and other products for exploitation purposes. Any act of this nature, if the legal procedures have not been previously completed and the corresponding authorization obtained, shall be considered, as the case may be, as usurpation of public domain or marauding, and the authorities must order the destruction and removal of the fences and prevent the use of those lands, without entitlement to compensation or claims for the value of improvements and without prejudice to other liabilities that may apply to those who incur such infractions.\" - It should be noted that this article criminally sanctions anyone who enters a National Reserve to carry out any activity on those lands; therefore, this act cannot be considered an act of possession because their activity would be illegitimate. - Article 11 of that same Law establishes that the following belong to the State as National Reserves: \"a) All lands comprised between the limits of the Republic that are not registered as private property, property of the Municipalities, or of the Autonomous Institutions. b-) Those that are not covered by décennial possession (posesión decenal). c-) Those that, by special laws, have not been destined for the formation of agricultural colonies. d-) In general, all those that, not being private property, are not occupied in public services.\" - For its part, Article 19 of the repealed Forest Law (Ley Forestal) Number 4465 of November twenty-third, nineteen sixty-nine, provided: \"All forests and forest lands located in: a-) Lands considered National Reserves... shall be designated for the purposes of this law.\" And Article 25 of this same law stated: \"The possession of lands situated in the National Reserves and State farms referred to in Article 19 of this Law shall not give rise to rights of any kind, and the reivindicatory action of the State for the same is imprescriptible, and the General Forestry Directorate, with the legal means at its disposal, shall proceed to evict from such lands the persons who occupy them totally or partially, in the case of protective zones (zonas protectoras), National Parks, Forest Reserves (Reservas Forestales), and Biological Reserves.\" - With these norms, a double protection is granted to the forests mentioned therein: First, due to their condition as National Reserve, in which it is prohibited to carry out any possessory act; and second, because they constitute State Forest Heritage, in which no act of possession shall give rise to any right whatsoever. This aspect is confirmed by Article 8 of the regulation to that law, which states: \"The National lands comprised within the areas declared Forest Reserves are inalienable, meaning they may not leave the domain of the State, and their possession shall not give rise to any right whatsoever, in accordance with the provisions of Articles 25, 49, and 57 of the Forest Law.\" - Article 80 of the cited repealed Forest Law stated: \"The invasion and occupation of lands in National Parks, Forest Reserves, and Protective Zones is prohibited. This prohibition extends to National Reserves, until such time as their classification and transfer have been determined...\" Article 6 of this same law provided: \"Shall be sanctioned with imprisonment of six months to two years or with a fine of fifteen to one hundred days, the person who: a-) Exploits a forest of the forest heritage (patrimonio forestal) without the corresponding legal authorization... b-) Invades a National Park, Biological Reserve, Protective Zone, or Forest Reserve... If the invasion is in National Reserves, it shall be subject to the provisions of Article 227 of the Criminal Code. -\" As can be observed, possessory acts carried out in a State heritage forest are illegitimate and, therefore, cannot confer any right of possession. - With the entry into force of Forest Law Number 7174 of June 28, 1990, this same philosophy is continued. Article 32 of the cited law establishes: \"The State forest heritage is constituted by all forests and forest lands of the National Reserves...\" Article 33 of that same law provides: \"The forest lands and forests that constitute the State Forest Heritage detailed in the preceding article shall be unattachable and inalienable; their possession by private individuals shall not give rise to any right in their favor, and the reivindicatory action of the State for those lands is imprescriptible. - Consequently, they are not susceptible to registration in the Public Registry by means of Possessory Information, their invasion and occupation shall be sanctioned in accordance with the provisions of this Law.\" - With the current, in-force Forest Law number 7575 of February 5, 1996, its Title II regulates a single chapter referring exclusively to the State Natural Heritage (Patrimonio Natural del Estado), maintaining the same philosophy that had begun in 1865 with the Fiscal Code; therefore, it is reiterated in this new regulation that the State Natural Heritage shall be constituted by the forests and forest lands of the national reserves, of the areas declared inalienable, and the farms registered in the name of the Public Administration. Article 14 of the same current forest law is emphatic in indicating that the forest lands and forests that constitute the state natural heritage are imprescriptible, unattachable, and inalienable, and their possession by private individuals shall not give rise to any right in their favor. The Wildlife Conservation Law (Ley de Conservación de la Vida Silvestre) Number 7317 of October 21, 1972, in its Articles 3 and 4, in addition to the declaration of wild fauna and flora, respectively, as public domain and public interest, indicates that wild flora and fauna are part of the National Heritage. In this same vein, the Biodiversity Law number 7788 of April 30, 1998, in its Article 6, declares the elements of biodiversity as public domain, as does the Organic Environmental Law in its Article 46, which establishes the sovereignty of the State over biological diversity. Based on the foregoing, it is a legal imperative to deny the right of possession to those persons who carry out any activity on lands not subject to private property and which are constituted by forests in National Reserves. - As an exception to that imperative prohibition, Forest Law Number 7575 of 1996, which reforms Article 7 of the Law of Possessory Information Proceedings, enables the titling of forests when what is understood as ecological possession (posesión ecológica) has been developed within them. The land subject to this possessory information proceeding is State Natural Heritage, because it is composed in part of forest located within the Río Pacuare Forest Reserve; it is clear that said territory is State Natural Heritage, from before it was created by Decree, as already set forth in the regulatory history above. When possession over a demanial asset is disputed, that discussion shall only be admissible when the right was acquired before the asset was declared as public domain. Likewise, the ownership right in such cases may only be obtained when the holder has demonstrated a décennial possession, exercised for at least ten years prior to the effective date of the law that declares the object as State Natural Heritage. As the legal chronology protecting the State Natural Heritage has already been set forth, the law that must be taken into consideration for computing the private individuals' décennial possession is the Land and Colonization Law number 2825 of October 14, 1961, a regulation currently in force. The Fiscal Code of 1865 and the Vacant Lands Law of 1939 should not be considered, as they were norms that referred to the topic in a generic manner; furthermore, they are not provisions currently in force; it was not until the current Land and Colonization Law that the State Forest Property or Natural Heritage came to be clearly defined and regulated. The subsequent laws, such as the Forest Law and others cited in this considerando, are complementary to the aforementioned Land and Colonization Law. In the specific case, the testimonial evidence gathered does not demonstrate that décennial possession in the terms of the regulations set forth herein, as it is in this sense that this note is recorded, to indicate that the petitioner ought to have demonstrated ten years of possession prior to the Land and Colonization Law, and not prior to the Decree that created the aforementioned Los Santos Forest Reserve, as is affirmed in the preceding vote.”" }