News

IMD celebrations across Europe

07.01.2021

Governments and organizations in Europe conducted webinars, hikes, literature festivals and more to mark International Mountain Day (IMD) 2020 in Albania, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Mountain literature took centre stage for the sixth year running, thanks to the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention. The alpine-wide literary festival "Reading Mountains" paid tribute to the cultural heritage in the Alps and saw participation in the initiative throughout the region.

Young people’s views on climate change in the Alps was the main theme of the AlpWeek Intermezzo 2020, held on 9-11 December. AlpWeek is an international event dedicated to new and promising sustainable development perspectives in the Alps. It is co-run by the main Alpine organizations involved in sustainable development and mountain protection, including the Alliance in the Alps, Alpine Convention, Interreg Alpine Space Programme and CIPRA International among others.

The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation's (UIAA) flagship sustainability programme is its annual Mountain Protection Award (MPA). While the 2020 MPA was postponed to 2021 owing to Covid-19, the UIAA instead profiled the progress made by past recipients of the award, how their projects promote biodiversity, the wider importance of biodiversity to mountain life and the impact Covid-19 has had on their operations.

The Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment, UN Environment, GRID-Arendal and the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI) contributed to this year’s theme with the policy brief "Elevating Mountains in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework", to help connect policy-relevant knowledge on mountains and biodiversity. Additionally, the MRI participated in and organized a number of events for IMD, including two information sessions on the IPCC and the Expert Review Process, UN Environment's "Mountain High – Adventure for Climate Action" and more.

Parliamentarians' role in climate change adaptation in mountain areas was at the heart of webinar co-hosted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Adaptation at Altitude programme of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. International mountain experts – including Carolina Adler, Executive Director of the MRI, and Grammenos Mastrojeni, Deputy Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean – and parliamentarians presented solutions and discussed potential ways forward to increase the attention given to mountain areas in international processes.

The Albanian Network for Rural Development, with support from the Albanian Alps Alliance and Albanian Institute for Democracy and Mediation, gave presentations of local good practices for touristic guides on 11 and 12 December at Preza Castle, Tirana, Albania. The event targeted youth and aimed to strengthen new groups and their ability to be drivers of change in local development processes.

In Cyprus, the Institute for Research, Experimentation and Development for the Mountains of Mediterranean Islands "MountMed" was announced on IMD by the John Papadouris Foundation. MountMed will develop synergies and networks while applying the principles and strategies of the European Union, United Nations and other international bodies. The Institute also intends to collaborate with various public and private sector organizations to support the implementation of a national strategic plan for sustainable mountain development.

To raise awareness about the threats facing mountains and the major role mountains and their forests play in preserving biodiversity and providing important ecosystem services, the National Institute of Agronomy of Toulouse, France, hosted a webinar dedicated to "Les montagnes: des trésors naturels à préserver" (Mountains: natural treasures to be preserved).

In Greece, the UNESCO Club of Serres celebrated IMD with an educational programme on mountains and biodiversity. The event included an online presentation followed by live mountain painting. The Cultural Association of Angista in cooperation with the UNESCO Club of Serres also produced two videos on mountains for IMD – "Mountains of Greece by Drone," and "Belles mountain: the beauty of nature" – as well as worked with two local high schools to give a presentation on mountains.

The 2020 Mountaineering Ireland's Lynam Medal was awarded to the remarkable Clare O Leary on IMD. Mountaineering Ireland is the country's national governing body for mountaineering.

The pressures faced by Italy’s mountain territories was the subject of a press release by the Italian National Organization of Mountain Municipalities. Wigwam Clubs Italia also celebrated IMD with a webinar dedicated to mountain farms and traditional products.

Organized by the Mountain Economy Center of the Romanian Academy "CEMONT," the National Mountain Area Agency, the Romanian Mountain Forum and the National Agency for Mountain Rural Development (ROMONTANA), a virtual seminar on "Mountain biodiversity, invaluable heritage of the mountain area: threats, vulnerabilities and perspectives in the context of climate change, extreme weather and globalization” was broadcast to over 100 participants.

In Spain, Asociación para el estudio de la montaña CRYOSANABRIA guided participants on socially distanced hikes up the Peña Trevinca, describing the geology, glacierism, flora and fauna of the Sierra de Sanabria along the way. At the end of the climb, within the framework of Reading Mountains, two books were presented: Trevinca desde dentro and Relatos de Trevinca en Sanabria. The Colegio Oficial de Geólogos of Spain also celebrated IMD with a webinar featuring four speakers, each of which a geologist and mountaineer.

Located in the vicinity of Mt Erciyes in Turkey, Cappadocia University underlined the importance of preserving mountains' natural heritage on IMD. To create awareness of the etymology and historic origins of the name Erciyes and of the risks climate change pose to the mountain, a social media poll organized by the University’s sustainability commission asked students, faculty and local residents their knowledge of the name's meaning. A brief text explaining the origins will be published on 11 December.

The Equid Power Network together with the Donkey Sanctuary promoted the importance of working equids in mountain areas, highlighting the economic, ecological and social importance and of working equids. Sara Manuelli of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat delivered a statement on the critical role that the Mountain Partnership and its members play in achieving sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda in mountains.

To inform the MPS of your International Mountain Day 2020 activities if you have not done so already, please email [email protected].

Photo by ANRD Rural Youth Hub