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Africa's annual tribute to mountains

21.02.2018

Governments and organizations throughout the African continent held events to honour International Mountain Day (IMD) 2017. The sixth edition of Algeria’s National Mountain Festival, hosted by the Association Assirem Gouraya, was held on 7-15 December in Bejaia, Algeria. Organized under the theme "Mountains under pressure: climate, hunger and migration", activities included an orienteering competition, a national hike, the planting of cedar trees, cleaning up waste in the mountains and more. The festival raised awareness about the importance of protecting mountains and forests and the richness of local cultures.

In Cameroon, the International Center for Environmental Education and Community Development (ICENECDEV) distributed IMD posters and fact sheets to 100 schools, offices and organizations, and conducted interviews on the radio and television to discuss the importance of mountains. The aim of their activities was to increase communities' knowledge and awareness of mountain resources and their importance to sustainable livelihoods, as well as to establish a network for future IMD celebrations.

The Government of Madagascar observed IMD and World Soil Day together on 5 December. The celebration was held at the Nantsa Watershed in the Itasy Region. This location was chosen due to the state of degradation of the watershed. Ecological activities were implemented there in collaboration with the local communities and authorities, including the reforestation of acacia and eucalyptus, the establishment of an anti-erosion vein chain, and the planting of fruit trees.

In Morocco, the Banyan Tree Tamouda Bay team organized a clean-up on the mountain of Cabo-Negro in celebration of IMD. As sustainable development and environmental protection are values of the Banyan Tree Group, the event provided an opportunity for the Banyan Tree Tamouda Bay Hotel's staff to get closer to nature. The purpose of the activity was to raise awareness about the importance of mountains for global water supply.

The Hotel Le Méridien N'Fis, together with several organizations held a celebration of IMD in Asni and Imlil, Morocco, on 9-10 December. Local children performed theatrical and musical pieces in the morning in various languages on the topic of “Mountains under pressure: climate, hunger, migration”, followed by a round table on education and mountains. On 10 December, there was a guided visit at the Eco-Museum in Imlil.

A team of hikers climbed seven mountains in Africa in seven weeks in November and December, including Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya, Mount Stanley, Mount Speke, Mount Meru, Mount Karisimbi and Mount Nyiragongo. Their expedition, titled “Seven Summits Africa Challenge”, aimed to highlight an adventure tourism product to bring new visitors to Africa. The climbers explained that more visitors to the mountains, parks and reserves could lead to improved facilities and services as well as the protection and conservation of mountain ecosystems.

On 11 December, the Killimanjaro Project launched a social media campaign to raise funds to plant trees in the Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. The goal of the campaign, titled “Gift a Tree to Kilimanjaro”, was to raise adequate funds to plant 1 million trees on Earth Day (22 April) 2018 as part of an initiative to plant 50 million trees in the Kilimanjaro Region over the next decade.

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See photos of IMD celebrations on the Mountain Partnership’s Flickr

Photo: ICENECDEV/Eric Fongoh