Choose another topic Arts Economics Education Environment Public Health Journalism Men working with businessman and environmentalist Serge Cantave's Seguin Foundation plants saplings, the beginnings of a reforestation project. Credit: Two Tone Productions The forests that once covered 25 percent of Haiti now cover less than 3 percent of the land. With up to 50 million trees cut down each year, the country -- now 98 percent deforested -- is in the grip of an ecological disaster. Haiti's political, economic, and health crises have left its people with few alternatives but to cut down trees for charcoal, the only fuel available for cooking and one of the few means of generating income. Without trees and roots to hold it in place, most of the country's rich, nutrient-filled topsoil has been washed away into the sea, further limiting agricultural capacity. Deforestation has also exacerbated the impact of hard rains and hurricanes -- in 2004, tropical storm Jeanne triggered extensive flash flooding in the coastal city of Gonaives, killing about 3,000 and destroying homes and businesses. And without topsoil and trees to absorb rainwater, aquifers remain dry, contributing to another environmental crisis: there's not enough water to meet the demands of Haiti's exploding urban growth. Within the last 50 years, Port-au-Prince's population has risen from 500,000 to 2.5 million, nearly a third of Haiti's population. Less than half of these people have access to clean drinking water, and there is no infrastructure organizing garbage and solid waste removal, contributing to the spread of diseases like malaria and typhoid. Most experts agree that Haiti has reached a point where the demands of the population are exceeding the resources of the land. A handful of local, private, and international organizations are working to try to bring these factors into balance again through reforestation and environmental education programs. FHE (Fondation Haitienne de L'Environnement/The Haitian Environmental Foundation), founded in 1999, is led by Jean Andre Victor, Haiti's most prominent agronomist. The foundation focuses on educational programs, teaching farmers soil conservation methods (and ways to finance them). Another program develops alternatives to charcoal, such as briquettes made from recycled paper, and encourages charcoal and wood consumers (like bakeries) to switch to alternative fuels. ORE (The Organization for the Rehabilitation of the Environment) is a grassroots group established in 1985, a rare success story in the reforestation campaign. The group's strategy is to replant with revenue-producing fruit trees, more valuable to peasants standing upright than they would be cut down as charcoal. The group estimates these plantings now earn their peasant owners up to $6.6 million per year. Operation Green Leaves, a Florida-based charity established in 1991, focuses on environmental education in Haiti. OGL has donated over 35,000 pine seeds and seedlings to Haiti through the Ministry of the Environment, and it produces a TV program about Haiti called ECO ALERT to raise awareness in Florida. It is currently raising funds for an initiative that aims to create tree nurseries as well as alternative sources of cooking fuel, such as kerosese and solar cookers. Next: Public Health Briefing Read about the political, economic, social, and historical realities of Haiti that will influence upcoming elections. Photo Essay Get an inside look at Haiti's struggle with environmental and social challenges. Filmmaker Notes Go behind the scenes with filmmakers Daniel Morel, Jane Regan, and Whitney Dow. Power Shifts in Afghanistan's History Discover who controlled power throughout Afghanistan's tumultuous history. A Developing World View Get a sense of the worlds' have and have-nots. Corruption Chart Calculate the cost of the culture of corruption.

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