25721-MINAE of October 17, 1996, and its amendments, is amended to read as follows:
"f) Maximum Area Limits for PES Projects.
i. Under no circumstances may natural persons and their family group, understood as first-degree relationships (spouse, sons and daughters), legal entities and their related companies operating as an economic interest group, maintain more than 600 hectares under contract in the forest protection (protección de bosque) modality and 750 hectares under contract in the reforestation modality within the Payment for Environmental Services Program (Programa de Pago por Servicios Ambientales). This provision shall apply only to contracts formalized as of the year 2016.
ii. Non-profit non-governmental organizations and social economy organizations may access the payment for environmental services program in the modality of coverage protection (protección de la cobertura) activities for a maximum of 300 hectares per year, per Conservation Area (Área de Conservación), provided that these forests are their property and comply with the priority scheme established through the current qualification matrix.
iii. Natural or legal persons wishing to reforest in areas larger than the established cap may apply under a special results-based payment financing scheme, potentially doubling the cap established in the first paragraph of this subsection, provided that the available resources are not used by small producers, according to the demand study established by FONAFIFO.
These forest plantations (plantaciones forestales) will be paid on a year-overdue basis, provided that the state of development is adequate and meets the established growth tables.
The amounts to be paid, the requirements, and other technical-administrative aspects shall be governed by the regulations of the Regulation of the Forestry Law, the Procedures Manual for the Payment of Environmental Services, and the provisions set forth for this purpose in the annual resolution issued by the Minister of Environment and Energy for the application of the payment for environmental services program.
iv. Natural or legal persons who cannot enter the payment for environmental services program, in whole or in part, may establish alliances and contracts with FONAFIFO in order to capture resources through the commercialization, in both the national and international market, of the greenhouse gas mitigation actions generated by their forests and forest plantations (plantaciones forestales).
The conditions of these undertakings shall be established and negotiated in the respective contracts."