On October 10-11, Earth Innovation Institute together with the Secretary of Environment and Rural Development of the State of Jalisco (SEMADET), the Trust for the Administration of the Forest Development Program of Jalisco (FIPRODEFO), Pronatura Sur, and the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force (GCF), co-hosted a workshop in Guadalajara, Mexico on low-emission rural development (LED-R) platforms for states and provinces. The objective of the workshop was to demonstrate the utility of jurisdictional platforms and gain feedback from attendees on how the platforms can be improved to better meet the needs of tropical subnational governments, particularly the seven Mexican GCF member states. EII Scientist Juan Ardila and Web Developer Juan Gabriel Rojas reviewed the structure and objectives of the Produce Protect and GCF Impact sites. These platforms – each with unique features and goals – are tools to help measure the progress of jurisdictions towards a LED-R strategy, and connect stakeholders and the private sector with actors on the ground in tropical jurisdictions. Representatives of each state also presented their state’s MRV system. The workshop aimed to establish networks of collaboration for data verification, improvement, use, and access, aligned with the interests and needs of the states. Workshop participants also discussed how the platforms can foster increased communication and collaboration with the private sector, and how to integrate this relationship into jurisdictional LED-R strategies. Additionally, EII Research Assistant Olivia David presented the State of Jurisdictional Sustainability study – an assessment of 39 subnational jurisdictions’ progress in terms of LED-R, undertaken in collaboration with Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the GCF – with a focus on the results related to the Mexican GCF member states. Workshop attendees included representatives from the state governments of each Mexican GCF member state (Jalisco, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Yucatán, Tabasco, Oaxaca), Mexico’s National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), various state agencies in Jalisco, and other non-governmental organizations.

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