The Cattle Farmers Association of Apacilagua, in the southern department of Choluteca, will join in the efforts for the reforestation and recovery of river basins to mitigate the soil degradation caused by livestock raising in this region of Honduras. In January 2012, some 22 families from the association will participate in the first phase of the initiative in eight communities in the municipality of Apacilagua, where 35 hectares of land will be preserved as protected areas as part of the Cattle Ranch Conversion Project.

The aim is to "recuperate the forest lost due to soil degradation. Today we are experiencing problems in terms of crop yields and the growth of grass for the cattle, and if things continue the way they are, we will be left without any means of livelihood," cattle farmer Tranquilino López of El Quebracho, one of the eight participating communities, told Tierramérica.

The project is scheduled to last 18 months and is supported by the United Nations and the local government.