around santa rosa balandra, stretches of land are being reforested.nd there are 95 hectares of pristine rain forest that the villagers protect from illegal logging or burning. all kinds of plants and animals live among the trees there. the forest soil also fulfils an important water-storage function. the trees stretch down to the wetlands on the shores of lake izabal where herons live, and howler monkeys. are efforts to help people and to protect the environment compatible -- and sustainable? the jimenez family is just happy to be self-sufficient now. >> it's like a child learning to walk. it takes a few steps and falls over. eventually it gets the hang of it. everything we have learned, all our effort and determination have not been in vain. we have achieved something. and in the future we shall carry on -- on our own. >> the knowledge and skills are shared throughout the community. how to plant and tend seeds and saplings, for example. people here already knows how precious the forest is. whenever something important comes up, the 27 families of the