Delimitation of public zone in Zapotal Beach mangroveDelimitación de zona pública en manglar de Playa Zapotal

8905, the National Geographic Institute, hereinafter IGN, is established as a dependency of the National Registry, which shall sign the contracts and agreements necessary for the exercise of its functions. Likewise, in accordance with Law No. 59, the IGN is the scientific and technical dependency governing national cartography, intended for the execution of the official basic Map and the basic geographic Description of the Republic of Costa Rica, and for studies, investigations, or work, and the development of national policies of a cartographic, geographic, geodetic, geophysical, and similar nature related to said works, in order to support planning processes.

59 constitutes the IGN permanently and in representation of the State, as the official authority in geodetic matters and the spatial representation of the geography of the Republic of Costa Rica, its authority extending to activities of any kind originating from the work entrusted to it.

59, Article 62 of Executive Decree No. 7841-P, Regulation to the Law on the Maritime Terrestrial Zone, recognizes the competence of the IGN for the delimitation of the public zone of the Maritime Terrestrial Zone, and its officialization through publication in the Official Gazette La Gaceta; Article 63 of Executive Decree No. 7841-P indicates that the National Geographic Institute shall publish a notice in the Official Gazette for each portion of the maritime-terrestrial zone in which it has demarcated the public zone.

36642-MP-MOPT-MINAET, Regulation of Specifications for the Delimitation of the public zone of the Maritime Terrestrial Zone, it is established according to Article 18 that for the delimitation of the public zone of the Maritime Terrestrial Zone, the IGN may resort to two execution methodologies, indicated in Articles 19 and 20, corresponding to the delimitation of the public zone of the Maritime Terrestrial Zone through the placement of survey markers (mojones) and/or through digital georeferenced delimitation, this in order to expedite delimitations and provide greater technical security to interested parties.

33797-MJ-MOPT declares CR05 as the official horizontal datum for Costa Rica, linked to the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF2000) of the International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) for the measurement epoch 2005.83, which, among other aspects, determines the National Geodetic Horizontal Reference Network CR05, and its associated cartographic projection CRTM05, as the official system to which the coordinates of all geodetic, cartographic, and cadastral work executed in our country must be referenced, specifically stating in Article 11 that: "The National Geodetic Horizontal Reference Network CR05 and the CRTM05 cartographic projection system shall constitute the sole official coordinate system for the Republic of Costa Rica, from which all cartographic and geodetic surveys and activities developed within the National Territory by any public dependency, person, or national or foreign private entity must be referenced."; while Article 7 indicates that "As cartographic data is produced in the new CRTM05 cartographic projection system, the National Geographic Institute shall publish, through appropriate means, that information which has been officialized."

40962-MJP, Update of the Official Horizontal Geodetic Reference System for Costa Rica, declares in its Article 1 that the official horizontal geodetic reference system for Costa Rica, denominated as CR05 and its materialization through the National Geodetic Network, changes its acronym to CRSIRGAS, as the official horizontal reference system for the Republic of Costa Rica, linked to the International Terrestrial Reference Frame ITRF2008 (IGb08), for the measurement epoch 2014.59, and henceforth, the changes and its updating shall be governed according to the new ITRF definitions implemented in the continental network of the Geocentric Reference System for the Americas (SIRGAS), denominated SIRGAS-CON, while Article 2 establishes that The CRTM05 cartographic projection system shall continue to be the official one for the cartographic representation of the national continental territory, extended for the purposes of applying this cartographic projection up to the baseline of the territorial sea in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, this line defined in accordance with Articles 5, 6, and 7 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as the starting point for computing the maximum width of all jurisdictional marine areas of the Costa Rican State.

For its part, Article 12 of the cited decree reinforces the application of the CRTM05 cartographic projection as the official national coordinate system to which they must be referenced in the continental territory of our country, by stating that "The horizontal reference system CRSIRGAS and its associated cartographic projection CRTM05 for the continental territory extended to the baseline of the territorial sea, and the 'Universal Transverse Mercator' (UTM) cartographic projection, zones 16 and 17 for the jurisdictional marine and insular areas in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, shall constitute the sole official coordinate system for the Republic of Costa Rica, from which all cartographic and geodetic surveys and activities developed within the national territory by any public dependency, person, or private entity, national or foreign, that undertake or contract geodetic and cartographic work must be referenced, contributing to avoiding public spending and obtaining, on the other hand, reliable, uniform, and comparable geographic information that is of general utility and supports decision-making at different levels of the State."

7841-P, Regulation to Law No. 6043 on the Maritime Terrestrial Zone, b) Executive Decree No. 33797-MJ-MOPT declaring CR05 as the official horizontal datum for Costa Rica, and its associated cartographic projection, CRTM05, c) Executive Decree No. 36642-MP-MOPT-MINAET, Regulation of Specifications for the Delimitation of the public zone of the Maritime Terrestrial Zone, and d) Executive Decree No. 40962-MJP, Update of the Official Horizontal Geodetic Reference System for Costa Rica.

10.-That Article 16 of the Forestry Law (Ley Forestal), Law No. 7575 of February 13, 1996, and its amendments, establishes that the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) shall delimit on the ground the boundaries of the areas that form the Natural Heritage of the State.

11.-That Article 11 of Chapter I, General Provisions of Law No. 6043, establishes that the "Public zone is also, whatever its extension, that occupied by all mangroves of the continental and insular coastlines and estuaries (esteros) of the national territory." 12.-That Executive Decree No. 36786-MINAET, Manual for the classification of lands dedicated to the conservation of natural resources within the Maritime Terrestrial Zone in Costa Rica, published in La Gaceta No. 217 of November 11, 2011, establishes among its objectives "To identify within the Maritime Terrestrial Zone those lands that classify as forests, of forestry aptitude (Class VII and VIII soils), wetlands (mangroves, estuaries (esteros), rias (rías), salt marshes (marismas), coastal lagoons (lagunas costeras), swamps (pantanos), flooded forests (bosques anegados), salt flats (salitrales)), to certify and incorporate them as part of the Natural Heritage of the State (PNE)." 13.-That Executive Decree No. 36786-MINAET, in point III.-Competencies for delimitation and certification, establishes that The classification of lands within the ZMT shall correspond to the Conservation Areas (AC) of the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) and to private professionals duly accredited by the respective Professional Associations to classify forests, lands of forestry aptitude (Class VII and VIII soils), (mangroves, estuaries (esteros), rias (rías), salt marshes (marismas), coastal lagoons (lagunas costeras), swamps (pantanos), flooded forests (bosques anegados), salt flats (salitrales)), and wetlands.

The validity of the classification documents issued by private professionals shall be subject to the approval issued by the AC with corresponding territorial competence. The ACs of SINAC with jurisdiction over the ZMT shall also be competent for the verification, oversight, boundary demarcation (deslinde), and certification of lands of the Natural Heritage of the State and protection zones. The location and delimitation of the areas of the Natural Heritage of the State within the Maritime Terrestrial Zone must be carried out as part of the approval process of the Coastal Regulatory Plan (PRC), defined by Law 6043, since the Coastal Regulatory Plan is the land-use planning instrument that defines and locates all zones to be concessioned within the ZMT and for its classification at the cadastral plan level. Therefore, the Coastal Regulatory Plan must clearly and expressly indicate the areas of the PNE so as not to account for them in the total area to be concessioned.

14.-The National Geographic Institute used the methodology of Delimitation of Georeferenced Survey Markers (Mojones Georreferenciados) to delimit the public zone of the Maritime Terrestrial Zone of a mangrove sector at Playa Zapotal, in district 03° Sardinal, canton 05° Carrillo, province: 05° Guanacaste.

15.-That by means of official communication ACT-OR-T-975-2021 dated August 20, 2021, signed by Eng. Fabián Bonilla Salguero, Survey Engineer, and official communication ACT-OSRSCC-1076-2021 dated August 4, 2021, issued by Eng. Rodrigo Alberto Sáenz Espinoza, Forestry Engineer, both from the Tempisque Conservation Area of the System of Conservation Areas of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, approval is given to the survey and delimitation of a mangrove sector at Playa Zapotal carried out by the company DEHC Sociedad Anónima.

16.-That by means of official communication DIG-TOT-0055-2022 dated January 28, 2022, issued by the Official Limits Subprocess of the Topographic and Territory Observation Department of the IGN, the Directorate of the National Geographic Institute was informed that the work carried out by the company DEHC Sociedad Anónima related to the delimitation of a mangrove sector at Playa Zapotal has the technical endorsement for its publication.

17.-That Article 140 of Law No. 6227, the General Public Administration Law, states that "the administrative act shall produce its effect after being communicated to the administered party, except if it only grants rights, in which case it shall produce it from the time it is adopted," a provision that must necessarily be related to numeral 204, subsection 1) of the same normative body, which defines the suitable instrument for communicating acts of a generic nature by stating that: "General acts shall be communicated by publication, and specific acts by notification." Communicates:

First.-That, in the months of March and April 2021, the field work was carried out for the establishment of survey markers (mojones) georeferenced to the national coordinate system of the public zone of a mangrove sector located at Playa Zapotal, district: 03° Sardinal, canton: 05° Carrillo, province: 05° Guanacaste.

Second.-The National Geographic Institute publishes the digital georeferenced delimitation of the public zone of 10 points that form part of a mangrove sector located at Playa Zapotal, district: 03° Sardinal, canton: 05° Carrillo, province: 05° Guanacaste, based on the Regulation of Specifications for the Delimitation of the public zone of the Maritime Terrestrial Zone and the methodology used and validated by the Tempisque Conservation Area (ACT) of SINAC-MINAE.

Third.-That the delimited public zone corresponds to a mangrove sector of Playa Zapotal, district: 03° Sardinal, canton: 05° Carrillo, province: 05° Guanacaste, in accordance with official communications No. DIG-TOT-0055-2022 of January 28, 2022, issued by the Official Limits Subprocess of the Topographic and Territory Observation Department of the National Geographic Institute, ACT-OR-T-975-2021 dated August 20, 2021, signed by Eng. Fabián Bonilla Salguero, Survey Engineer, and official communication ACT-OSRSCC-1076-2021 dated August 4, 2021, issued by Eng. Rodrigo Alberto Sáenz Espinoza, Forestry Engineer, both from the Tempisque Conservation Area of the System of Conservation Areas (ACT).

Fourth.-That the public zone of the Maritime Terrestrial Zone concerning the mangrove sector verified and delimited by the Tempisque Conservation Area at Playa Zapotal corresponds to the following coordinates, in the official cartographic projection system of Costa Rica CRTM05:

Fifth.-The sectors located at Playa Zapotal, district: 03° Sardinal, canton: 05° Carrillo, province: 05° Guanacaste, which to date have delimitation of the public zone of the Maritime Terrestrial Zone through the placement of survey markers (mojones) and respective publication in the Official Gazette La Gaceta, maintain their official status.

Sixth.-The official technical data of the georeferenced delimitation of 10 points in the public zone of the Maritime Terrestrial Zone of the Playa Zapotal mangrove sector, district: 03° Sardinal, canton: 05° Carrillo, province: 05° Guanacaste, have been recorded in the Digital Georeferenced Geodatabase of the Maritime Terrestrial Zone (ZMT) of the IGN.

Seventh.-Effective upon its publication.

Given in Curridabat, San José, on November 20, 2023.

Asimismo, de conformidad con la Ley N° 59, el IGN es la dependencia científica y técnica rectora de la cartografía nacional, destinada a la ejecución del Mapa básico oficial y la Descripción básica geográfica de la República de Costa Rica y a los estudios, las investigaciones o labores y el desarrollo de políticas nacionales de carácter cartográfico, geográfico, geodésico, geofísico y de índole similar que tenga relación con dichas obras, con el fin de apoyar los procesos de planificación.

Por su parte, el artículo 12 del decreto de cita, refuerza la aplicación de la proyección cartográfica CRTM05 como el sistema nacional de coordenadas oficial a la cual se deben referenciar en el territorio continental de nuestro país, al señalar que "El sistema de referencia horizontal CRSIRGAS y su proyección cartográfica asociada CRTM05 para el territorio continental extendido hasta la línea de base del mar territorial y, la proyección cartográfica "Universal Transversal de Mercator" (UTM), zonas 16 y 17 para las áreas marinas e insulares jurisdiccionales en el océano Pacífico y el mar Caribe, constituirán el único sistema oficial de coordenadas para la República de Costa Rica, a partir del cual, se deben referenciar todos los levantamientos y actividades cartográficos y geodésicos que desarrollen en el territorio nacional toda dependencia pública, persona o entidad privada, nacional o extranjera, que emprendan o contraten trabajos geodésicos y cartográficos, contribuyéndose a evitar el gasto público y obteniendo, por otra parte, información geográfica confiable, uniforme y comparable, que sea de utilidad general y que apoye la toma de decisiones en los distintos niveles del Estado."

10.-Que el artículo 16 de la Ley Forestal, Ley N° 7575 del 13 de febrero de 1996 y sus reformas, establece que el Ministerio del Ambiente y Energía (MINAE) delimitará en el terreno los linderos de las áreas que conforman el Patrimonio Natural del Estado.

11.-Que el artículo 11 del Capítulo I, Disposiciones Generales de la Ley N° 6043, establece que la "Zona pública es también, sea cual fuere su extensión, la ocupada por todos los manglares de los litorales continentales e insulares y esteros del territorio nacional." 12.-Que el Decreto Ejecutivo N° 36786-MINAET Manual para la clasificación de tierras dedicadas a la conservación de los recursos naturales dentro de la Zona Marítimo Terrestre en Costa Rica publicado en La Gaceta N° 217 del 11 de noviembre del 2011, establece entre sus objetivos "Identificar dentro de la Zona Marítimo Terrestre aquellos terrenos que clasifiquen como bosques, de aptitud forestal (suelos Clase VII y VIII), humedales (manglares, esteros, rías, marismas, lagunas costeras, pantanos, bosques anegados, salitrales), para certificarlos e incorporarlos como parte del Patrimonio Natural del Estado (PNE)." 13.-Que el Decreto Ejecutivo N° 36786-MINAET en el punto III.-Competencias para la delimitación y certificación establece que La clasificación de los terrenos dentro de la ZMT corresponderá a las Áreas de Conservación (AC) del Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación (SINAC) y a profesionales privados debidamente acreditados por los Colegios Profesionales respectivos para que clasifiquen los bosques, terrenos de aptitud forestal (suelos Clase VII y VIII), (manglares, esteros, rías, marismas, lagunas costeras, pantanos, bosques anegados, salitrales) y humedales.

La validez de los documentos de clasificación emitidos por profesionales privados quedará sujeta a la aprobación que emita el AC que por competencia territorial le corresponda. A las AC del SINAC con jurisdicción en la ZMT les competerá, además, la verificación, fiscalización, deslinde y certificación de las tierras del Patrimonio Natural del Estado y las zonas de protección. La ubicación y delimitación de las áreas del Patrimonio Natural del Estado dentro de la Zona Marítimo Terrestre, debe realizarse como parte del proceso de aprobación del Plan Regulador Costero (PRC), definido por la Ley 6043, ya que el Plan Regulador Costero es el instrumento de ordenamiento territorial, que define y ubica todas las zonas a concesionar dentro de la ZMT y para la clasificación de ésta a nivel de los planos de catastro. Por tanto, el Plan Regulador Costero debe indicar clara y expresamente, las áreas del PNE para no contabilizarlas en el área total a concesionar.

14.-El Instituto Geográfico Nacional, utilizó la metodología de Delimitación de Mojones Georreferenciados, para delimitar la zona pública de la Zona Marítimo Terrestre de un sector de manglar en Playa Zapotal, en el distrito 03° Sardinal, cantón 05° Carrillo, provincia: 05° Guanacaste.

15.-Que mediante el oficio ACT-OR-T-975-2021 de fecha 20 de agosto de 2021, suscrito por el Ing. Fabián Bonilla Salguero Ingeniero Topógrafo y el oficio ACT-OSRSCC-1076-2021 de fecha 04 de agosto de 2021 emitido por Ing. Rodrigo Alberto Sáenz Espinoza Ingeniero Forestal ambos del Área de Conservación Tempisque del Sistema de Áreas de Conservación del Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía, se otorga visto bueno al levantamiento y delimitación de un sector de manglar en Playa Zapotal realizado por la empresa DEHC Sociedad Anónima.

16.-Que mediante el oficio DIG-TOT-0055-2022 de fecha 28 de enero de 2022, emitido por el Subproceso de Límites Oficiales del Departamento Topográfico y Observación del Territorio del IGN, se le comunicó a la Dirección del Instituto Geográfico Nacional que los trabajos realizados por la empresa DEHC Sociedad Anónima relativos a la delimitación de un sector de manglar en Playa Zapotal cuenta con el aval técnico para su publicación.

17.-Que el artículo 140 de la Ley N° 6227 Ley General de la Administración Pública señala que "el acto administrativo producirá su efecto después de comunicado al administrado, excepto si le concede únicamente derechos, en cuyo caso lo producirá desde que se adopte", disposición que necesariamente debe relacionarse con el numeral 204 inciso 1) del mismo cuerpo normativo, que define el instrumento idóneo para comunicar actos de naturaleza genérica al señalar que: "Se comunicarán por publicación los actos generales y por notificación, los concretos".

Comunica:

Primero.-Que, en los meses de marzo y abril del 2021, se realizó el trabajo de campo para el establecimiento de mojones georreferenciados al sistema nacional de coordenadas de la zona pública de un sector de manglar ubicado en Playa Zapotal, distrito: 03° Sardinal, cantón: 05° Carrillo, provincia: 05° Guanacaste.

Segundo.-El Instituto Geográfico Nacional publica la delimitación digital georreferenciada de la zona pública de 10 puntos que forman parte de un sector de manglar ubicado en Playa Zapotal, distrito: 03° Sardinal, cantón: 05° Carrillo, provincia: 05° Guanacaste, con base al Reglamento de Especificaciones para la Delimitación de la zona pública de la Zona Marítimo Terrestre y a la metodología usada y validada por el Área de Conservación Tempisque (ACT) del SINAC-MINAE.

Tercero.-Que la zona pública delimitada corresponde a un sector de manglar de Playa Zapotal, distrito: 03° Sardinal, cantón: 05° Carrillo, provincia: 05° Guanacaste en conformidad a los oficios N° DIG-TOT-0055-2022 del 28 de enero de 2022 emitido por el Subproceso de Límites Oficiales del Departamento Topográfico y Observación del Territorio del Instituto Geográfico Nacional, ACT-OR-T-975-2021 de fecha 20 de agosto de 2021, suscrito por el Ing. Fabián Bonilla Salguero Ingeniero Topógrafo y el oficio ACT-OSRSCC-1076-2021 de fecha 04 de agosto de 2021 emitido por Ing. Rodrigo Alberto Sáenz Espinoza Ingeniero Forestal ambos del Área de Conservación Tempisque del Sistema de Áreas de Conservación (ACT).

Cuarto.-Que la zona pública de la Zona Marítimo Terrestre concerniente al sector de manglar verificado y delimitado por el Área de Conservación Tempisque en Playa Zapotal corresponde a las coordenadas, en el sistema de proyección cartográfica oficial de Costa Rica CRTM05, siguientes:

Quinto.-Los sectores ubicados en Playa Zapotal, distrito: 03° Sardinal, cantón: 05° Carrillo, provincia: 05° Guanacaste que cuentan a la fecha con delimitación de la zona pública de la Zona Marítimo Terrestre a través de la colocación de mojones y respectiva publicación en el Diario Oficial La Gaceta, mantienen su condición oficial.

Sexto.-Los datos técnicos oficiales de la delimitación georreferenciada de 10 puntos en la zona pública de la Zona Marítimo Terrestre del sector de manglar Playa Zapotal, distrito: 03° Sardinal, cantón: 05° Carrillo, provincia: 05° Guanacaste, han quedado registrados en la Geodatabase Digital Georreferenciada de la Zona Marítimo Terrestre (ZMT) del IGN.

Sétimo.-Rige a partir de su publicación.

Dado en Curridabat, San José, el 20 de noviembre de 2023.