Media coverage of forest conflicts: A reflection of the conflicts’ intensity and impact?

Abstract

Forest conflicts are ubiquitous, and can potentially be very damaging, underlining the need to develop tools for their management based on an increased understanding. There are numerous differences in the conflicts, of which, media coverage and conflict impact and intensity are the focus of this paper: specifically, the relation between media coverage and conflict intensity and potential impact. The aim of the paper is, firstly, to create a methodology to determine the conflicts' potential impact and intensity. Secondly, determine if there is correlation between impact and intensity and international media coverage. These aims were achieved through the examination of 14 forest conflicts, involving forest industry, identified through a detailed screening of publications from various sources. The results show that international media had relatively little coverage of the 14 conflicts, with a couple of exceptions, despite the high intensity and potential impact of many of them. There are numerous implications for the work, not just with the creation of the methodologies, but also highlighting various areas of future research.

Predicting Future Conflict under REDD+ Implementation

“…Indeed, conflicts often take shape at a very low intensity before they manifest themselves and intensify [18]. Paradoxically, however, they are given attention only when they reach a higher intensity, making conflict management efforts significantly more difficult [43,44]. This makes the development of adequate capabilities in conflict management, such as the ability to deal with conflict constructively, including ensuring that effective and equitable governance is embedded within the CFUGs, all the more essential.…”

Changing Perceptions of Forest Value and Attitudes toward Management of a Recently Established Nature Reserve: A Case Study in Southwest China

“…We promote the co-management approach in support of the resolution of conflicts between the BNR and local people; neither over restriction nor over decentralization is encouraged. Restriction of access rights to forest resources has led to a potential conflict [22,37,38], while over decentralization could also cause some potential problems. For instance, although the implemented collective forest tenure reform in China had made substantial progress in providing for sustainable forest management and a reduction of poverty through a power transfer to the local inhabitants, it also caused negative effects on forest management [22,26,28].…”

“…Local customary rights to natural resources, if curtailed by the establishment of protected areas and a disregard of those rights by decision-makers, could escalate to open conflicts, such as disagreements over boundaries, disputes over work plans and benefit sharing, and accusations of corruption and illegal logging activities [37,38]. These conflicts have led to difficult management challenges for most reserve authorities in China; these challenges have constrained the effectiveness of many protected areas and jeopardized conservation goals [39].…”

Environmental campaigns against forest companies: What are the campaigns trying to achieve?

“…Gritten and Mola-Yudego (2010) found that ENGOs targeting forestry companies were greatly influenced by the potential media coverage that the campaign would garner, including considering the profile of the company as well as its location (considering the environmental and social impact of the company's operations). The same authors also found that international media coverage of forest conflicts was relatively low, even if the conflict was intense or had a great deal of potential negative impact (Gritten et al 2012).…”