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Asia commemorates IMD

22.02.2018

Throughout Asia, governments, organizations and individuals enthusiastically observed International Mountain Day (IMD) in December 2017. The theme “Mountains under pressure: climate, hunger, migration” was the focus of many Mountain Partnership members’ seminars and conferences. In Bangladesh, the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs held its fifth consecutive annual celebration of IMD, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United States Agency for International Development, United Nations Development Programme, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development and the Bangladesh Adventure Club, among other organizations. Seminars, posters, newspaper articles and a five-day mountain fair marked IMD in Dhaka and the three Hill districts.

Several IMD activities were organized throughout India:

• In Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, the Himalayan Forest Research Institute discussed the how climate change is effecting mountain areas in India at an event on 11 December. Participants included scientists, officers, researchers and staff members of the institute. Keynote speaker Tej Pratap from Goyal University called on the institute to focus their research on forestry systems that will improve the livelihoods of mountain peoples vis-à-vis mitigating climate change.

• The Central Himalayan Institute for Nature and Applied Research (CHINAR), with support from the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, organized a festival in Liti Village, Bageshwar, India. Over 1 500 people from 13 villages participated in the programme, which included traditional folk dance performances, mountain biking and running events, camping, handicraft and agrobiodiversity exhibitions and more. Member of Parliament Bhagat Singh Koshyari was Chief Guest of the event and declared Namik Glacier “Trek of the Year” for 2018.

• Vertical Amble Mountaineering continued its tradition of celebrating IMD in 2017 by organizing several activities to mark the international day. With an event in the town hall of Pahalgam, Kashmir, Vertical Amble Mountaineering raised awareness about how climate change, hunger and migration are affecting highlands.

• The Jammu and Kashmir Mountaineering and Hiking Club of Srinagar, Kashmir, raised awareness about protecting mountain ecosystems on IMD by organizing film screenings, mountain running and biking events, and several other programmes. The club also developed a souvenir for the occasion.

• Giripremi, an India-based mountaineering organization, organized a ten-day mountain festival on 2-11 December in Pune, India. The programme additionally included seminars, treks, a mountain film festival and photography competition, along with digital promotion on radio channels and social media.

The Mountain Research Centre of Mongolia, together with the National University of Mongolia, hosted a scientific conference on 11 December to discuss the current state of the mountain studies in Mongolia and discuss future opportunities for collaboration to support the livelihoods of mountain peoples. The conference was attended by scientists, researchers, students and professionals alike.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Nepal observed IMD by sharing information about WWF Nepal and its conservation efforts in mountains at the Budhanilkantha School in Kathmandu. Students enjoyed presentation on the snow leopard, a key flagship species, focusing on youth, communities and programmes in the mountains.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) launched a photo and photo story competition on “Capturing change across the Hindu Kush Himalaya” in the lead up to IMD to bring attention to how climate, hunger and migration are affecting the Hindu Kush Himalaya region and inspire action to include sustainable mountain development in national and global agendas. Also on IMD, ICIMOD announced the winners of its Information and Communications Technology for Mountain Development Award, and Director-General David Molden shared a message to mark the occasion.

In Pakistan, the Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) hosted the seventh annual Pakistan Mountain Festival from 26 November to 18 December in Islamabad. The festival aimed to raise awareness of the challenges facing mountain ecosystems and communities. Activities included youth wall climbing and rock climbing competitions, a mountain film festival, cultural festivities, an exhibition of students’ paintings, and a clean-up of the Margalla Hills National Park’s Trail 5.

The Prabhawa Organization of Haputale, Sri Lanka, hosted its eighth annual IMD celebration on 9 December. The event kicked off after religious observances at the Kurunji Sri Muthu Mariamman Temple. The main event took place at the Prabhawa Mountain viewpoint at 1 614 metres above sea level. Participants enjoyed indigenous foods served with freshly brewed tea in coconut shells. Many locals, families, environmentalists and members of the Prabhawa Organization participated.

More pictures of IMD celebrations are available on the Mountain Partnership’s Flickr gallery

Photo: CHINAR/Pradeep Mehta