Forests, policy networks and argumentation in Malaysia and Cameroon

Forests and forestlands are being claimed since colonial times for a myriad of global interconnected interests. These interests are embodied in flows of commodities till today, providing materials such as oilpalm, rubber, hard woods and new commodities such as forest carbon credits to markets in the Global North. Simultaneously, flows of ideas and narratives are circulating in political networks that legitimise or challenge such claims for forests in the global South. Media, specifically print media, provide a space where public and private interests interact and are shaped by media representations and selected interests that link development and forest and land use in the Global South in distinct ways, highlighting (or dismissing) specific understanding of problems and solutions, and relevant actors. We conducted two case studies of a discourse network analysis (DNA) in Malaysia and Cameroon, The case in Malaysia investigates newspaper reporting related to a potential carbon credit agreement between the Sabah government and an Australian company over a (protected) forest area. The Cameroon case analyses newspaper reporting over a large land claim by an oilpalm company and the deforestation in Kribi. We unpack what is said by whom about forests and development, what visions, strategies and concerns are put forward and shared by whom in the policy domain of forest lands and development, the interests and actors at play. The analysis allows us to discuss potential implications of dominant or less dominant framings for current and future decisions over land, and the question of who benefits and who carries the burden of such visions and decisions. Particularly so as these narratives shape future development trajectories, with actors influencing policy process related to forest and land.