On March 9, 2026, our postdoctoral researcher Dr. Luisa Escobar was invited to participate in a workshop dedicated to the development of the Integrated Fire Management Plan for Mexico 2025–2050, led by CONAFOR (National Forest Commission).

The initiative brought together around 80 participants, including representatives from ejidos and local communities, firefighting personnel, municipal and state governments, civil society organizations, academic institutions, federal agencies, and the private sector, with the aim of collaboratively shaping the plan through a participatory process. The workshop stood out as a significant and inspiring effort to build public policy through the inclusion of a wide range of voices, including rural communities, women firefighters, and researchers.

Notably, this marks the first time in Mexico that a long-term fire management programme has been developed with an explicit integration of both a gender perspective and the concept of cultural fire management. The overarching goal of the initiative is to foster a process that is genuinely participatory, inclusive, and representative.

Although Mexico is not currently among the countries included in the FIREPOL research scope, participation in this workshop represents an important opportunity to broaden perspectives on fire management and to strengthen international networks—particularly with experts and stakeholders from the Global South, which is a central focus of our project. Moreover, some of the objectives of the initiative are closely aligned with FIREPOL’s research interests, including: the strengthening of inter-institutional coordination across different levels of government; the promotion of social participation in fire management; the promotion of applied research; the enhancement of international cooperation and knowledge exchange; the management of agricultural fire use; and the integration of both gender perspectives and cultural approaches to fire management.