For the use of the RNVS-GM, the following recommendations must be considered:
R.1. All road adaptations must consider lanes for bicycles and pack animals; and have speed bumps in the case of paved roads.
They must also consider semi-natural elevated or underground crossings when the passage of monkeys and other species is interrupted.
R.2. The established retreat from rivers and streams in the Ley Forestal shall be respected, namely: a strip of 15 meters in rural zones and 10 meters in urban zones, measured horizontally on both sides, on the banks of rivers, streams, or creeks, if the terrain is flat, and of 50 meters horizontally, if the terrain is steep.
R.3. Any road built in places where its layout runs parallel to a stream must maintain a retreat of 50 meters. If on terrain with a slope greater than 20%, the retreat shall be measured from the base of the embankment that supports it.
R.4. Pedestrian paths from the public street: existing paths going from the public street to the public zone will have a minimum right-of-way of 6 meters and will be exclusively for pedestrians, except for properties whose only access is this way. On these paths, the roadway may not be larger than 2 meters, preferably made of natural materials.
R.5. The extraction of beach sands or the alteration of their configuration will not be authorized.
R.6. The construction of marinas or similar port works within the Refuge will not be permitted, except for installations for ecotourism services and for artisanal fishing.
R.7. The use of motorized vehicles in the Public Zone will not be permitted.
R.8. Under no circumstances will the drainage or dredging of wetlands be permitted as part of the activities intended to be developed within each of the zones and subzones defined in this zoning; given that, in accordance with the Organic Environmental Law, "Wetlands are ecosystems dependent on aquatic regimes, natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, lentic(*) or lotic(**), fresh, brackish, or saline, including marine extensions or coral reefs or, in their absence, up to six meters deep at low tide." Therefore, the La Amistad Caribe Conservation Area identifies the existence of seven main wetlands: the Gandoca lagoon on the periphery of the Gandoca River, of 200 ha; the Gandoca mangrove, of 250 ha; 650 ha of flooded forests, palm swamps (yolillalles), and lagoons, between the Gandoca lagoon and the Sixaola River; 400 ha of flooded forests on the bank of the Gandoca River and the Limón stream; 200 ha of herbaceous swamps in the surroundings of Bonife, on the banks of the Sixaola River; the Punta Mona swamp, of 600 ha, between Manzanillo and Middle Creek; and approximately 400 ha of cativera forest, between the eastern end of the Punta Mona swamp and Middle Creek.
(*) Bodies of stagnant continental waters, at rest or with very little movement.
(**) Bodies of moving waters.
R.9. Forested areas and wetlands in the maritime-terrestrial zone are Natural Heritage of the State.
R10. Prior to granting approval (Vº Bº) to new projects and constructions, an analysis of the availability of water resources must be conducted.
R11. Any activity carried out in the RNVS-GM must have the environmental viability granted by the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (SETENA), in accordance with Resolution No. 11155-2007 of fourteen hours forty-nine minutes on August 1, 2007, issued by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice.
R.12. Under no circumstances will swimming pools without water purification and filtration systems or that use chemical agents for this purpose be permitted.
R.13. All outdoor, non-residential lighting must be of the sodium vapor type. The authorization of luminous signs in Neon or metal-arc type luminaires, or similar, that may produce glare for local fauna is not recommended. All outdoor lighting must be directed toward the ground or from the eaves toward the walls, but always in the direction of the ground, as shall be established in the building permit.
R.14. Any tourist or commercial infrastructure development, within or outside the Maritime-Terrestrial Zone, with an occupancy greater than or equal to 20 people using the same wastewater treatment system, must have a treatment plant that does not generate final solid waste.
R.15. Every wastewater treatment plant must have, prior to its installation, the approval of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE)(*).
(*)(Its name as amended by Article 11 of Law No. 9046, "Transfer of the Telecommunications Sector from the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications to the Ministry of Science and Technology," of June 25, 2012) R.16. All constructions within the Refuge shall be a maximum of 9 meters in height, measured from the site where the construction sits. This height includes roofs, eaves, or any other constructive element. A maximum of 2 floors will be permitted at this height. Exceptions are made for thatched-roof structures ("ranchos de paja"), for which a maximum of 20 meters on a single floor is established; their height is measured the same as for the rest of the buildings.
R.17. In unforeseen cases where biophysical conditions require the modification of the retreats of some properties, this may be done through the alignment specified in the building permit.
R.18. Stormwater drainage channels must incorporate vegetation or other means to prevent the excessive transport of sediments to the sea.
R.19. Any reforestation carried out within the RNVS-GM must exclusively use native species of the Gandoca-Manzanillo Refuge.
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