International Mountain Day

Home to 15% of the world´s population, mountains host about half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and provide freshwater to half of humanity. Of the 20 plant species that supply 80% of the world’s food, six originated and have been diversified in mountains: maize, potatoes, barley, sorghum, tomatoes, and apples. Climate change and overexploitation (unsustainable farming practices, commercial mining, logging, poaching) are seeing mountain people — some of the world’s poorest — struggling to survive, as well as the depletion of freshwater supplies downstream for millions of people. First celebrated in 2003, International Mountain Day (#MountainsMatter) is to acknowledge mountain conservation as key for sustainable development (part of Goal 15 of the SDGs), to celebrate the rich biodiversity of mountains, to adopt sustainable management practices systematically and to address the threats faced by mountains.