The Congo Basin Forest and Climate Change Adaptation Project: Shaping the Debate on Adaptation to Climate Change in Media

This paper was presented at the AfricaAdapt Climate Change Symposium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in March 2011. It reviews initiatives conducted by The Congo Basin Forest and Climate Change Adaptation Project (CoFCCA) to develop media discourse around the science of climate change in the Congo Basin region. CoFCCA was developed to support the policy dialogue around forest, science and climate change adaptation in the Congo Basin.

The author argues that media in the region have the potential to become major actors in the climate change dialogue; however, they are constrained in their interventions in the arena.

The paper outlines a range of workshops conducted by CoFCCA in the subregion that aimed to develop media discourses around climate change, namely:

• Three media science policy dialogue workshops in Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Cameroon;
• The establishment of a scholarship for Masters students from communication schools; and
• The partnership with a journalists' network.

The article outlines the process, strategy, and outcomes for each of these activities.

Between 2009 and 2011, CoFCCA conducted three workshops in Bangui, Central Africa Republic (September 2009), Kisangani DR Congo (September 2010), and Cameroon (February 2011). The aim of the workshops was to initiate direct exchanges between climate change researchers and journalists so as to improve the coverage of the issue in the media. The article outlines the process undertaken prior to the workshops to solicit information on the state of climate change coverage and to identify gaps. It also outlines the activities undertaken at the workshops, such as plenary discussions and field trips, to observe and discuss climate change impacts on communities and the environment.

In July 2010, CoFCCA established a fellowship for Masters students in Journalism and Communications to undertake research on climate change and forest-related issues in Central Africa. The paper outlines the process of selection, support received by the students chosen, and ongoing support given to scholarship recipients by affiliated scientists.

The paper outlines the process undertaken to establish networks with journalists in the region and also some of the obstacles encountered in doing so. The process culminated in a partnership between CoFCCA and SciLife, a specialised network of science journalists affiliated with the World Science Journalist Network. The paper touches on the activities undertaken by this partnership in Cameroon, such as a science café, media tours to project sites, and a planned mentorship programme.

The article outlines the way forward for the science-media policy dialogues and also the ongoing efforts to support the training of journalists in issues relating to climate change. It also outlines lessons learned from CoFCCA's interventions in media discourse and coverage in the Congo Basin, such as the need for specialised training for journalists and the lack of innovation in training in both public and private universities.

Editor's note: Our apologies, but this article is no longer available online. Please see the author's contact details, below, and/or click here [PDF] to read more about CoFCCA.