Res communis

You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 1,619 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing French Wikipedia article at [[:fr:Res communis]]; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template {{Translated|fr|Res communis}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian. Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 977 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Russian Wikipedia article at [[:ru:Общее достояние]]; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template {{Translated|ru|Общее достояние}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Res communis is a concept^[1] or doctrine.^[2] The expression is a Latin term derived from Roman law that preceded today's concepts of the commons and common heritage of mankind.^[3] It has relevance in international law and common law.

In the 6th century, the Institutes of Justinian codified the relevant Roman law as: "By the law of nature these things are common to mankind – the air, running water, the sea, and consequently the shores of the sea."^[4]

Res communis has gained new currency in environmental law, in terms of managing natural resources. The key concept is that the state is the trustee of communal natural resources and cannot alienate them into private ownership. Examples are Lake Michigan,^[5] Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong^[6] and Sydney Harbour.^[7]

Biological examples of res communis include fish and mammals in high seas.^[8] Rules for use of the continent Antarctica^[9][10] were based on res communis as was development of space law.