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

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.