International Mountain Day 2020 theme, history and significance

International Mountain Day 2020 will be celebrated all over the world on December 11, 2020. The day is an ode to the fascinating landscapes in the world. From the snow-covered Himalayas to the lush green mountains, every mountain is special in its own way and is home to various animals and plants.

According to the UN website, mountains are home to 15% of the world´s population and host about half of the world's biodiversity hotspots. The day aims at increasing awareness about the conservation of the mountains and its rich biodiversity. People will also celebrate the day by wishing a Happy International Mountain Day 2020.

On the occasion of International Mountain Day 2020, a lot of people are thinking about the International Mountain Day 2020 theme, International Mountain Day significance and its history. For all the people who are wondering about the International Mountain Day, here is everything you need to know about it.

International Mountain Day 2020 theme

The theme of this year’s International Mountain Day is “Mountain biodiversity”. The theme is decided by the UN to celebrate the rich biodiversity found on the mountains and address the threats that they face. The unique topography, compressed climatic zones and isolation have created the conditions for a wide spectrum of life forms. Such conditions have offered a large number of opportunities to grow a variety of high-value crops, horticulture, livestock and forest species.

However, several unfortunate things like climate change, unsustainable farming practices, commercial mining, logging and poaching have caused a heavy toll on mountain biodiversity. This International Mountain Day 2020 theme aims at making people aware of such causes and calls for action to stop them with an immediate effect.

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Happy International Mountain Day 2020

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International Mountain Day history

The roots of International Mountain Day history date back to the year 1992. In the year, the document “Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development” (called Chapter 13), was adopted by UN as part of the action plan Agenda 21 of the Conference on Environment and Development. The increasing attention towards the importance of mountains in coming years led the UN to declare to 2002 as the UN International Year of Mountains. After that, the first International Mountain Day was celebrated in the next year, i.e. in 2003. Since then the day is celebrated every year on December 11.

International Mountain Day significance

International Mountain Day is important as it calls for action and awareness to save the rich biodiverse and scenic landscapes. Apart from the population and biodiversity, mountains also provide fresh water for everyday life to half of humanity. Climate change has made it difficult for mountain people to survive. The rising temperatures have also caused the mountain glaciers to melt at unprecedented rates thus affecting the freshwater supply of millions. The problems are affecting almost everyone at a global stage. Thus it is important to reduce our carbon footprint and take care of these natural treasures.

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