Haiti's charcoal trade – in pictures

A Haitian woman cooks using charcoal outside her tent in front of the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince last month. Haiti's chief source of fuel is wood charcoal. To meet the demand for wood, about 50m trees are cut down each year. The country has lost 98% of its trees, causing land erosion, which destroys agricultural land Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

Charcoal-maker Calnes Yove, who lives near Titanyen, about an hour's drive north-east of Port-au-Prince, cuts a tree root to be made into charcoal. Deforestation has been a major concern of aid agencies for years Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

Jean Ckehner, who lives near Titanyen, burns wood into charcoal inside a dirt mound. With little electricity in the country, charcoal from wood has become essential for fuel Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

Ckehner holds the machete he uses to cut wood and make it into charcoal Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

Charcoal for sale at Titanyen market. Haitians are now being encouraged to recycle paper into charcoal, rather than using wood. However, with Haiti still recovering from the earthquake of 2010, selling charcoal is, for many people, an important source of income Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

Workers at La Saline port unload charcoal destined for Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

A worker at La Saline port unloads newly arrived sacks of charcoal destined for Port-au-Prince, just south of the port Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

A man chases off a pig that wandered over his charcoal at La Saline port Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

Haitian children sort charcoal at La Saline port Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

A charcoal vendor prepares for customers in the Petion Ville neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

A charcoal vendor inspects a sack of charcoal she bought Photograph: HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images

Charcoal vendor Francilia Tessilice takes a break near the end of her work day Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

Boys who work in the charcoal market take a break in the Petion Ville neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

People leave the charcoal market at the end of the day in the Cite Soleil area of Port-au-Prince Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images