Can’t See the Forest for the Trees? Framing Climate Change Politics : Implications of the UNFCCC Forest Definition in REDD

Understanding the framing in economic terms of climate change politics is key to gain insights on why the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) developed a new forest definition in COP 7 in 2001, and how it configures the politics of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD). Which are the ac-tors responsible for it? How does the fact that monoculture plantations are included in the definition influence the politics and the actors involved in REDD? The paper will explore the dynamics of the REDD framing process, to then analyze its relation to the development of the forest definition, where the values of the parameters included (tree height, cover and area) were made more flexible at the aim of adapting to wider contexts, making more land eligible for REDD projects. In light of the potential importance associated to REDD for the post-2012 agreements, the paper attempts to shed light on those questions so as to explore the possibility of shifting the focus towards a more holistic vision that includes “other” perceptions of forest.