August 2012: The Center for International Forestry Research’s (CIFOR) Global Comparative Study on REDD (GCS-REDD) has released revised guidance on two elements of its research, a Code Book for the Analysis of Media Frames in Articles on REDD and a Guide for Country Profiles.

The Code Book is a contribution to the GCS-REDD Component 1 on National Policies and Processes for REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, and the role of conservation, sustainable use of forests and enhancement of carbon stock). It describes the concept of media framing as well as the process for defining primary and secondary frames. It outlines the variables and codes used for: descriptive variables; variables analyzing the primary and secondary frames; protest event analysis; policy event analysis; and the policy actor list. It allows for three levels of depth of coding.

The GCS-REDD country profiles provide an overview of the contextual conditions that affect the REDD+ policy environment in a specific country, along with an assessment of REDD+ proposals for effectiveness, efficiency and equitability. Sections focus on reviewing main forest and land use trends, major institutional factors linked to governance and rights, political-economic factors within the broader context of drivers of deforestation and degradation, the development of national REDD+ policy strategies, and an analysis of the previous sections for the implications for REDD outcomes.

GCS-REDD focuses on information gathering and knowledge sharing in three key research areas: initiatives, policy processes and strategies at national level that relate to forests and climate change; developing practices for REDD+ at 20 field sites; and establishing monitoring and reference levels for measuring carbon emission reductions.

CIFOR is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Publication: Code Book for the Analysis of Media Frames in Articles on REDD] [Publication: Guide for Country Profiles]