News

IMD events in the Americas

30.01.2017

Both North and South America marked International Mountain Day (IMD) through various events in Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru and the United States. The National Mountain Committee of Argentina highlighted IMD at its 79th meeting. In light of the official 2016 theme “Mountain Cultures: celebrating diversity and strengthening identity,” María Pia Falchi of the National Institute of Anthropology and Latin American Thought gave a presentation on the ancient inhabitants of South America and how they considered mountains fundamental parts of a landscape. Today, mountains are featured in innumerable legends that form modern folklore and history. She said, “Mountain cultures have deep roots that must be preserved and strengthened for future generations to understand the diversity of our national identity.”

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Representation Office in Bolivia organized an event about their Altiplano Project “Proyecto Camacho” in La Paz, Bolivia on 6 December. Through this project, FAO Bolivia provides technical support (e.g. production, territorial development, access to goods and services) to several municipalities in the Camacho Province to achieve food sovereignty.

The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia organized the symposium "The páramos, water and people" in Bogotá, Colombia. Recognizing the role of the páramos (high alpine tundra ecosystems) in regulating and supplying water to the region, the event analysed the current management of high mountain ecosystems. At the opening of the symposium, Carlos Alberto Botero López, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, announced the recent delimitation of five páramos in the Colombian Andes. These fragile mountain ecosystems are considered biodiversity hotspots, and their protection is estimated to benefit more than 6 million people. Also in Bogotá, the NGO OCOTEA presented the book "¡Este es mi paisaje! La biodiversidad de Soatá, Boyacá, Colombia" (“This is my landscape! The biodiversity of Soata, Boyaca, Colombia"). The publication compiles ten years of biodiversity research and initiatives in the mountains of Soatá.

The National Meteorological Institute of Costa Rica celebrated IMD with an event at the Auditorium of the National Library, San Jose. This year’s celebration featured lectures by representatives of different institutions and organizations, including the International Analog Forestry Network. The event also welcomed a sale of mountain products made by Costa Rican women, including sweet cocoa, herbal teas and handmade brooms and jewellery.

In Peru, the National University La Molina organized a conference on Peru’s mountains and glaciers that also highlighted Andean mountain cultures. Professor Juan Torres Guevara, who organized the conference, described how Andean peoples’ cultures have been shaped by the extreme high-altitude ecosystems of the Andes. He focused on how their deep knowledge of agriculture includes how to adapt to climate change, keep lands fertile and adapt crops to high altitudes.

In the United States, The Mountain Institute and the Mountain Laurel Learning Center partnered to foster young students’ interest in their mountain community in Tucker County, West Virginia. During the week preceding IMD, students learned about mountain formation, studied mountain ranges around the world and created brochures to promote their mountain community to local residents and visitors. In Aspen, Colorado, Mayor Steve Skadron presented a proclamation on preserving and promoting mountain identities at a City Council meeting. Chief AhTave, heir of the Ute Mountain Tribe, also attended this meeting where he offered a blessing about the importance of mountains for their communities and their history.

The Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), a coalition of student clubs at Utah Valley University (UVU), held a series of events in observance of the 2016 IMD theme:
• On 15 September, the UIMF and the Utah Art Museum hosted a delegation of the Republic of Georgia for the unveiling of an exhibition of Georgian Soviet-era impressionist art. UVU students were encouraged to writes essays to connect with the art and explore the similarities and differences between the culture and art of mountainous Georgia and Utah.
• On 16 November, the UIMF organized the round table “Rotary International: Learning Cultures to Build Ties with Mountain Nations”. Rotary International representatives Scott Leckman, Ruth Riley and Dean Jackson shared their experiences of supporting local mountain communities and described how students could be part of these initiatives.
• On 2 December, the UIMF celebrated IMD with a presentation by Patience Kabamba and his students about their experiences studying mountain communities of Congo. To follow, keynote speaker Mehak Assad, an independent filmmaker from Pakistan, introduced her documentary “Daughter of Kalash”. The UIMF raised the funds to fly Assad to UVU for the presentation, and as a ‘thank you’, she also premiered a second film.

Several IMD events were organized throughout Canada:
• The Canadian Mountain Network brought together a group of ‘mountain leaders’ for a Mountain Symposium held at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. First nations elders, community and municipal leaders, business representatives and conservationists gathered for a public discussion of the challenges facing mountain communities.
• The foundation artsPlace, Banff Mountain Film Festival and Crowfoot Media held a night of tales from the trails, mountains and beyond in Canmore, Alberta. The event “Life @ Altitude” featured stories with local mountain legends, an interview with long-distance hiker Leslie Gerein and several short-film screenings.
• The first annual Haines Junction Mountain Festival was held in Haines Junction, Yukon Territory. The two-day festival included indoor and outdoor events celebrating mountain cultures and the Kluane National Park and Reserve.
• In the Northwest Territories of Canada, the Aurora Research Institute hosted a screening of “The Last Mooseskin Boat” in Inuvik. The documentary honours the history of the Shúhtagot'ine (Mountain Dene) people and their boat-making tradition.
• The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada hosted a presentation of the Caribou Fence Project using three-dimensional models of the fences and a high-definition video created using drone photomapping.

Photo: UIMF/Yanko Dzhukev

See more pictures of IMD celebrations on the Mountain Partnership’s Flickr