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.
[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.