International Mountain Day, celebrated annually on December 11, raises awareness about the importance of mountains and the need to restore their ecosystems. The day highlights the vital role mountains play in our lives and the need to protect them. This year, the focus is on activities that promote mountain resilience and adaptation to climate change.
International Mountain Day 2023 Theme
The theme for International Mountain Day 2023 is “Restoring Mountain Ecosystems”. The theme aims to include mountains in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030.
International Mountain Day: History
The history of International Mountain Day dates back to 1992 when Agenda 21 “Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development” of Chapter 13 was adopted by the United Nations during its Conference on Environment and Development.
While it brought a major milestone in the history of mountain development, it was finally in 2002 that the UN General Assembly declared the UN International Year of Mountains and designated December 11 as International Mountain Day from 2003 onwards. Since then, every year, the day has been celebrated globally with a particular theme.
International Mountain Day: Significance
International Mountain Day is held in the field of conservation and sustainability. On this day, various bodies take part in multiple events aimed towards the development and protection of mountains, while also generating awareness about the importance and the threats that are faced by mountains.
The day also highlights the importance of conserving mountains as required for sustainable development. That being said, while mountains hold utmost importance for millions of people living in the lowlands, they are also a main source of the world’s major rivers.
International Mountain Day 2023: Quotes
1. After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.
2. Mountains inspire us to always be strong. Mountains motivate us to stand tall against all our problems. Let us save our mountains.
3. They are the ones who protect us and stand tall, and thus we must save them for when we need them.
4. Mountains need to be protected because they are losing their identity with climate change.
5. Without mountains, life will not be the same because Earth will not be the same. The onus of protecting them lies on us. Happy International Mountain Day.
Facts About Mountains
1. Mountains play a very important role in the water cycle.
2. While the precipitation of the snow in the mountains remains intact, it further melts in the spring and summer seasons and later provides essential water for settlements, agriculture, and industries downstream.
3. Water coming down from the mountains is also a great source of hydroelectric power.
4. Having the highest elevation above sea level, Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth.
5. Not many know that there are massive mountains underwater including the famous Mid-Atlantic Ridge while the highest ocean mountain is Mount Vema in the South Atlantic Ocean.
6. Mount Kilimanjaro is not only the tallest mountain in Africa but also the tallest, free-standing mountain in the world. The mountain can be seen from parts of Kenya.
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