Researchers from the ICTs Against Climate Change (ICT VS CC) group at the ITACA Institute of the Universitat Politècnica de València, in collaboration with Guillermo Palau from the INGENIO Institute (CSIC-UPV), have published a study revealing how public perception and media coverage decisively influence the acceptance of sustainable forest management (SFM) in Mediterranean contexts, especially in regions vulnerable to climate change such as the Valencian Community.
The paper, published in the scientific journal Sustainability, presents a comprehensive approach that combines analysis of the media ecosystem, narrative mapping, and a survey of more than 1,000 people in the Valencian region to understand how social perceptions of forests and their management are shaped.
The research highlights a significant gap between high public awareness of climate change and limited understanding of forest management practices.
“We found a paradox: society recognises the importance of forests in addressing climate change, but does not always understand the active role required in their management,” explains Marta Esteve, lead researcher of the study.
A pioneering study on public perception and media narratives
In this regard, the research shows that public perception is strongly influenced by the media’s approach.
“News coverage mainly focuses on forest fires and other extreme events, creating a reactive and simplified view of the issue. As a result, forest management becomes associated with crisis situations rather than being seen as a preventive, ongoing, and necessary policy to reduce risks and improve ecosystem resilience”, says José Vicente Oliver, co-author of the study.
This lack of information also contributes to a distorted perception of the state of forests, which are often considered to be in decline, despite the fact that in many Mediterranean areas forest cover has actually increased, linked to rural depopulation and natural regeneration.
Furthermore, the research shows that in digital environments there is “greater polarisation of discourse and a predominance of emotional content, which makes it more difficult to communicate technical and contextualised information”, according to the ITACA researchers.
Conclusions: communication as the key to forest management
Finally, the paper concludes that public acceptance of sustainable forest management depends largely on communication factors, not only technical considerations.
“It is necessary to develop clearer, more continuous communication strategies tailored to different audiences. Sustainable forest management is not only a technical tool, but also a challenge of communication and governance,” concludes Marta Esteve, author of the study.
This research was carried out within the framework of the European INFORMA project (Horizon Europe), which promotes evidence-based forest management to improve ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change.
Reference
Marta Esteve-Navarro, José Vicente Oliver Villanueva,Celia Yagüe-Hurtado y Guillermo Palau-Salvador. From Wildfires to Sustainable Forest Governance: An Analysis of Media Framing and Social Acceptance in the Mediterranean Context. Sustainability.