International Mountain Day 2020
The United Nations marks December 11 as International Mountain day to encourage sustainable development in mountains. The increasing attention to the importance of mountains led the UN to declare 2002 the UN International Year of Mountains. The first international day was celebrated for the first time the following year, 2003.
Why is Mountain Day celebrated?
On International Mountain Day, all mountain and nature lovers engage in discussions on how and act on how to best conserve the fragile mountain environment - it's flora and fauna.
How are mountains under threat and how does that impact us
The world's most spectacular landscapes are facing threats in every way. Climate change and global warming, bad farming practices, logging, commercial mining and poaching are taking a heavy toll on mountain biodiversity. Plastic pollution is also threatening the fragile environment. As the global climate continues to warm, mountain people — some of the world’s poorest — face even greater struggles to survive. The rising temperatures also mean that mountain glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, affecting freshwater supplies downstream for millions of people.
International Mountain Day 2020 theme
Mountain biodiversity is the theme of International Mountain Day 2020.
Biodiversity encompasses the variety of ecosystems, species and genetic resources, and mountains have many endemic varieties. The differentiated topography in terms of altitude, slope and exposure in mountains offers opportunities to grow a variety of high-value crops, horticulture, livestock and forest species. However, ecosystem degradation, loss of livelihoods and migration in mountains can lead to the abandonment of cultural practices and ancient traditions that have sustained biodiversity for generations.
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