Mountain cultures: Celebrating diversity and strengthening identity

Ranjan K Baruah *

Shirui Kashong : Magnificient Landscape of Ukhrul District, Manipur :: Pix Credit - Kahorpam Horam

We have been seeing hills and mountains. Though we see more hills around us there are mountains too. A mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area, usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. High elevations on mountains produce colder climates than at sea level.

Because of the less hospitable terrain and climate, mountains tend to be used less for agriculture and more for resource extraction and recreation, such as mountain climbing.

Mountains cover around 22 percent of the earth's land surface and play a critical role in moving the world towards sustainable economic growth. It not only provides sustenance and well-being to 915 million mountain people around the world but also indirectly benefit billions more living downstream.

It provides freshwater, energy and food – resources that will e increasingly scarce in coming decades. We must be aware that mountains are home to 13 percent of the world's population.

Ninety percent of the world's mountain dwellers live in developing countries, where a vast majority lives below the poverty line and 1 out of 3 faces the threat of food insecurity.

Mountains are places of tourism and cultural trails. Mountain tourism accounts for about 15–20 percent the global tourism industry. Indigenous and local populations in mountains have unique and valuable traditional knowledge, traditions and cultural practices that can contribute to effective land management strategies.

Mountain products and services have great potential to improve livelihoods and boost local economies. The concept of traditional heritage, culture and spirituality is intrinsically linked with peoples' livelihoods in the mountains, where it is often traditional lifestyles that determine the way people make a living.

Like many other international events, 'International Mountain Day'(IMD) 2016 provides an occasion to highlight the variety and richness of mountain cultures, promote the vast array of mountain identities and ensure that indigenous rights are recognized and traditional ways endure. This year's theme is "Mountain Cultures: Celebrating diversity and strengthening identity"

International Mountain Day has its roots in 1992, when the adoption of Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 "Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development" at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development put a milestone in the history of mountain development.

The increasing attention to the importance of mountains led the UN General Assembly to declare 2002 the UN International Year of Mountains. On this occasion, the UN General Assembly has designated 11 December, from 2003 onwards, as "International Mountain Day".

The challenge for us is to identify sustainable opportunities that can bring benefits to communities and help to eradicate poverty without causing any negative impact on the existing eco system.

This is possible when traditional knowledge of the people living around the mountains is taken into consideration and new innovative ideas are added to it. We are aware that mountains are power house of energy but it should not be exploited for the interest of few .

Whenever any projects is being implemented then the implementing agencies or government must adapt do no harm policies so that indigenous people do not lose their rights.

As the theme suggests let us work towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals by protecting mountain cultures. The fragile ecosystem of the mountains must be conserved.

Climate change has already bought lot of challenges, so, we must be ready to protect the ecosystem and bio diversity of the mountains. Each of everyone can be part of the conservation movement directly or indirectly. People living in the low land must contribute towards to conservation so that we get resources from the mountains.

Together we can make a difference and on the occasion on international mountain day let us pledge that we are going to contribute towards the conservation and not towards the destruction of mountains.

(With inputs from UN publication )