FAO.org

On 11 December, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Sub-regional Office of Central Asia coordinated the annual celebration of International Mountain Day. This year’s event focused on sustainable mountain tourism under the slogan #MountainsMatter. The aim of the event was to increase awareness of the importance of mountains, highlight existing opportunities and constraints in mountain development, and build alliances that will generate positive change for mountain peoples around the world.

FAO marked this International Mountain Day by organizing a climb to the summit of Işık Mountain, the highest peak in Ankara province. Throughout the day, 24 participants from different embassies and UN agencies walked the 12 km long path covering almost 1 000 vertical meters by enjoying magnificent views in shades of green, brown and white.

FAO Forestry Officer Peter Pechacek explained the rationale behind the event: “We want our guests to experience first-hand the pleasure of hiking through beautiful mountain scenery in refreshing weather. The focus of this year’s International Mountain Day is sustainable mountain tourism. At present, mountains account for around 15 to 20 percent of global tourism. While the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on this sector, with vulnerable mountain communities experiencing complications due to ongoing restrictions, it has also presented opportunities with the same restrictions provoking an increase in outdoor activities. This is therefore the right time to rethink mountain tourism and its impact on natural resources and livelihoods.

The goal should be to manage mountain tourism better for a more resilient, green and inclusive future. Our actions determine our future; therefore, as individuals we need to take responsibility and demand sustainable alternatives that do not harm nature, but instead provide opportunities to raise awareness of conservation. Such alternatives should contribute to the recognition and conservation of mountain people’s culture and be designed to support the livelihoods of local communities by promoting more sustainable food systems and value-added local products.

This is our call for action to promote climate-sensitive, low-impact tourism in mountains, to empower mountain communities to take the lead in tourism development, to focus on responsible investment in mountain regions, to strengthen public-private partnerships for the development of innovative products and services, and to plan and manage mountain tourism better by gathering and analysing adequate data. We wish you all a happy International Mountain Day.”