News

European events for IMD

25.01.2016

International Mountain Day (IMD) was widely celebrated in Europe with events in France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Russia and more. The Russian Geographical Society (RGS) celebrated on 11 December at its Moscow headquarters. The theme of the event “social-ecological services/products of mountains and mountain people” focused on mountain tourism. Oxfam Georgia presented its initial findings of the EU-funded first national research on food security and nutrition in the greater and lesser Caucasus range in Georgia. The research findings demonstrate current challenges as well as future opportunities for people living in the mountainous regions.

“Reading mountains”, an initiative of the German Presidency of the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention, was held successfully with almost 100 events. The idea was to initiate events dedicated to reading alpine literature in various places around the Alps on IMD to promote modern alpine literature and culture, an essential part of the Alps. Each organization participating in the initiative chose the alpine literature for its event. The events took place in eight countries involving thousands of people throughout the Alps and far beyond – from Paris and Lendava to Hamburg and Rome.

The Romanian Mountain Forum’s (RMF) celebration of IMD was part of the 11th National Conference, held for the first time outside of the capital, in the town of Bistrița-Năsăud, where the organization has a new and active branch. Like every year, many organizations planned outdoor activities. The Macedonian Mountaineering Club PSK “Dimitar Ilievski Murato” celebrated IMD by ascending the summit of Mount Baba up to its highest peak, Pelister at 2 601 m. In Spain, the Circle of Volunteers of the National Parks conducted activities in the Park of the Serrada Litoral, the natural parks of the Barcelona’s Provincial Council. Mountain lovers climbed Mount Abantos (1 763 m) in San Lorenzo of El Escorial, Madrid. People from around Denia and Alicante hiked Mount Montgó. There was also a half marathon in Serra Oltà. IMD was commemorated in the Natural Park of Serra D’Irta along the route from the Hermitage of Santa Lucia to the top of Torre Ebrí to observe the panoramic view. The Spanish National Association of Forest Engineers organized an Instagram photo contest prompt people to go to the mountains.

In line with this year’s theme, many organizations held mountain products fair all across Europe – in Croatia, France, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Romania, among others.

The Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS), the Government of Lesotho, The Mountain Institute and Colorado State University held a side event during the 21st session of the Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on IMD (11 December) 2015. The well attended side event featured different approaches to making mountain communities more resilient to climate change on several continents. Also at COP21, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA), along with heads and representatives of national and international NGOs, journalists, government officials and other conference participants roped themselves together, the way mountain climbers do, to demonstrate that action is urgently needed on climate change to protect mountains. At COP21 the Consortium for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Eco-region (CONDESAN), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), GRID-Arendal and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) organized a side event to mark IMD entitled “Celebrating international cooperation on climate change adaptation in mountain environments – from Rio to Lima to Paris”.

In Rome at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the directors of six mountain museums met for the signing ceremony of the Mountain Museums Alliance (MMA). This association of alpine and mountain museums aims to define a network of collaborations among mountain museums to link together the cultural activities of the world’s mountains. The ceremony was held under the auspices of the MP. Following the signing, a photo exhibition of Bolivian mountain images was unveiled at FAO. The exhibition is a reportage by Canadian photographer Craig Richards who documented the intrinsic connection of the landscape, people, festivities and music. “Bolivia - Its Musical Places”, as the exhibition was called, involved the collaboration of the Museo Nazionale della Montagna “Duca degli Abruzzi”, the Piedmont Region of Italy, with support from the City of Turin, the Italian Alpine Club and the Compagnia di San Paolo as well as the Embassy of the Plurinational State of Bolivia to Italy. During the event, the FAO/MPS publication “Mapping the vulnerability of mountain peoples to food insecurity” was launched.

Photo: International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA)

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