IMD 2024: Advancing Sustainable Growth in Mountain Regions
IMD 2024 focuses on advancing sustainable development in mountainous regions. The initiative aims to address the unique challenges faced by these areas while promoting eco-friendly practices and enhancing the well-being of local communities. Various strategies and collaborative efforts will be highlighted to foster growth and sustainability in mountainous landscapes.
TroibNews 
Every year on December 11, the United Nations recognizes International Mountain Day, a day dedicated to increasing awareness regarding the essential role mountains play in sustaining life. This observance aims to spotlight the opportunities and challenges in mountain development and fosters partnerships that can create beneficial changes for mountain communities and environments globally.
The theme for International Mountain Day 2024 is centered on mountain solutions for a sustainable future, emphasizing innovation, adaptation, and the engagement of youth.
Innovation refers to technological advancements and creative problem-solving strategies, such as climate-smart agriculture. Adaptation is crucial for enhancing resilience and minimizing vulnerability in mountain areas. Additionally, the active involvement of youth is vital for securing the long-term sustainability of solutions aimed at mountain communities.
In China, various creative solutions have been implemented to support both the protection and development of mountainous regions, leveraging the local ecological advantages.
In Chengkou County, located in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and surrounded by the Daba Mountains, local populations had long faced poverty. In response, the National Forest Reserves project was initiated in 2019, gradually phasing out commercial logging to safeguard high-quality timber and promote ecological poverty alleviation.
As of the end of 2020, the project had acquired 43,000 hectares of woodland in Chengkou, involving 2,035 households from 41 villages. It is anticipated that an additional 30 million yuan will be contributed to the fund annually.
In northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Xunyang County boasts the turnjujube, one of the oldest fruits on Earth, known historically as "longevity fruit" by the First Emperor of China due to its health benefits. The turnjujube growing and processing industry has created over 1,000 local jobs, resulting in an annual income increase of 1.7 million yuan for impoverished households and helping lift 13,320 families out of poverty.
To tackle climate change pressures in mountain regions, adaptation strategies have been introduced, integrating ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk reduction and Indigenous knowledge systems.
The United Nations Environment Programme has reported that protection forests are highly effective measures against natural hazards in the Alps, playing a crucial role in integrated disaster risk management strategies.
Modern management of these forests focuses on optimizing the protection potential of natural ecosystems, aiming to enhance both their efficiency and effectiveness.
Indigenous peoples, having adapted to various environments over thousands of years, possess a profound knowledge and respect for the ecosystems they inhabit. Their holistic approaches to food production not only preserve biodiversity but also safeguard their cultural heritage.
By recognizing the critical importance of mountains on International Mountain Day 2024, there is an anticipated increase in awareness regarding the need to protect these vital ecosystems.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
The theme for International Mountain Day 2024 is centered on mountain solutions for a sustainable future, emphasizing innovation, adaptation, and the engagement of youth.
Innovation refers to technological advancements and creative problem-solving strategies, such as climate-smart agriculture. Adaptation is crucial for enhancing resilience and minimizing vulnerability in mountain areas. Additionally, the active involvement of youth is vital for securing the long-term sustainability of solutions aimed at mountain communities.
In China, various creative solutions have been implemented to support both the protection and development of mountainous regions, leveraging the local ecological advantages.
In Chengkou County, located in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and surrounded by the Daba Mountains, local populations had long faced poverty. In response, the National Forest Reserves project was initiated in 2019, gradually phasing out commercial logging to safeguard high-quality timber and promote ecological poverty alleviation.
As of the end of 2020, the project had acquired 43,000 hectares of woodland in Chengkou, involving 2,035 households from 41 villages. It is anticipated that an additional 30 million yuan will be contributed to the fund annually.
In northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Xunyang County boasts the turnjujube, one of the oldest fruits on Earth, known historically as "longevity fruit" by the First Emperor of China due to its health benefits. The turnjujube growing and processing industry has created over 1,000 local jobs, resulting in an annual income increase of 1.7 million yuan for impoverished households and helping lift 13,320 families out of poverty.
To tackle climate change pressures in mountain regions, adaptation strategies have been introduced, integrating ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk reduction and Indigenous knowledge systems.
The United Nations Environment Programme has reported that protection forests are highly effective measures against natural hazards in the Alps, playing a crucial role in integrated disaster risk management strategies.
Modern management of these forests focuses on optimizing the protection potential of natural ecosystems, aiming to enhance both their efficiency and effectiveness.
Indigenous peoples, having adapted to various environments over thousands of years, possess a profound knowledge and respect for the ecosystems they inhabit. Their holistic approaches to food production not only preserve biodiversity but also safeguard their cultural heritage.
By recognizing the critical importance of mountains on International Mountain Day 2024, there is an anticipated increase in awareness regarding the need to protect these vital ecosystems.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
