S

everal neighbors of Residencial Del Monte in San Rafael de Heredia own or live on properties that were built partly or entirely on land protected by Law No. 65 of 1888, and as a result of the constitutional court’s recent ruling that orders the MINAE (ministry of the environment and energy) to recover all properties that legally belong to the state, the neighbors came together on July 29 to discuss options and strategize on a way forward.

Law No. 65 is a 135-year-old law that protects a two-kilometer strip of land bordering Braulio Carrillo National Park in the mountains north of Heredia, stretching from the Barva Volcano to Mount Zurquí. Originally and currently, much of the greater metropolitan area has relied on the water resources in these mountains.

The neighbors at Residencial Del Monte are not the only ones affected by the court’s decision, and, this is not the first time the court rules on a Law 65 case. In fact, to comply with the court’s order 15 years ago, the ministry set up boundary markers to identify where the area begins. But according to available documents, that’s where they left off.

[ More to come … ]