Forests play an incredibly important role in regulating the climate of the planet and are hotspots of biodiversity. In Mozambique, vast forest areas are at risk due to clearing through slash and burn practises, the charcol industry and illegal logging.

With the destruction of these forests, fragile ecosystems are being destroyed and impoverished communities will further bear the brunt of this destruction.

1 of 10: The massive trees of Mount Gorongoza's mist-belt forest shrouded in thick mist, Gorongosa Mountain, Inhambane Province, Mozambique

2 of 10: Dawn breaking over the Catapu woodlands with the silhouette of a large tree, Catapu, Sofala Province, Mozambique

3 of 10: Grass huts of an illegal logging camp, Dondo Forest, Beira, Sofala Province, Mozambique

4 of 10: Ring-barked tree as part of slash and burn clearing on the edges of a Miombo woodland, Panda, Inhambane Province, Mozambique

5 of 10: Slash and burn clearing on the edges of a Miombo woodland, Panda, Inhambane Province, Mozambique

6 of 10: Illegal logging in miombo woodland, Dondo Forest, Beira, Sofala Province, Mozambique

7 of 10: Harvested hard-wood logs loaded on a large truck and en-route for export, Save River Bridge, Inhambane Province, Mozambique

8 of 10: Transporting charcoal to the market by bicycle, Rio Savanne, Beira, Sofala Province, Mozambique

9 of 10: Bags of charcol stand for sale on the roadside, Limpopo Province, Mozambique

10 of 10: A Mozambican rides bicycle loaded with firewood, Caia, Zambezi River Floodplain, Sofala Province, Mozambique

Visit African Conservation Photography for a full gallery of Mozambique images.