Every December 11, International Mountain Day is celebrated, a day that highlights their importance and the need to develop sustainable solutions for their conservation and the well-being of the communities that depend on them. This year, under the theme “Mountain-based solutions for a sustainable future: innovation, adaptation and youth”, the urgency of adopting innovative approaches to address the challenges faced by these ecosystems, including climate change or biodiversity loss, is underlined. Mountains represent a very valuable resource for humanity: they are home to 15% of the world’s population and about half of the planet’s biodiversity, according to the UN. In addition, they are sources of fresh water, clean energy, and non-wood forest products. However, mountains face threats such as soil erosion, melting glaciers, and degradation of their ecosystems. These problems are aggravated by the impacts of climate change, which not only affect the biodiversity that these territories are home to, but also the communities that inhabit them.
Innovation and adaptation: keys to sustainability
In this context, innovation has a crucial role to play in improving the sustainable management of natural resources in mountains. It seeks to promote adaptation through strategies that increase the resilience of these ecosystems to climate change, promote the conservation of natural resources and guarantee sustainable livelihoods for local communities. A key aspect of this process is the empowerment of youth, who become an essential agent for the implementation of innovative and adaptive solutions in mountain regions, as underlined by FAO. Thus, this year, International Mountain Day also emphasizes the active participation of young people, who play an important role in promoting social justice, gender equality and the fight against climate change. The integration of youth in decision-making about the future of mountains is essential to ensure a long-term sustainable approach. In this context, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, supports transformative projects aimed at strengthening the local bioeconomy and revitalising the rural environment, acting in different mountainous areas. This is the case of projects such as OVIHUEC. DAT, led by the Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology (IRTA), which seeks to boost the local economy by reversing the depopulation of rural and mountain areas. The general objective of the project is to promote sustainable extensive livestock farming, which favours biodiversity and is attractive to new generations and which not only serves to manage the territory through silvopastoral activity that reduces the risk of fires and cleans up our forests.
In addition, although most of the actions are carried out in the vicinity of Vilamòs, the main objective is to develop an approximation model that can be replicated in other areas, obtaining the necessary data to transfer this knowledge to sites with similar problems in the future. In the Aran Valley, the BoscAran project, led by the Conselh Generau d’Aran (CGA), stands out for revitalising forest management and promoting a green energy transition in the region. This project aims to boost the sustainable use of forest resources through the application of the Forest Resources Management Plan (PORF) of Aran, following innovative silvicultural management that favours the forest bioeconomy, resilience to climate change and the sustainable development of rural areas. Although the actions are focused on the Aran Valley, the aim is to establish a replicable model that allows the transfer of the knowledge acquired to other areas with similar challenges, contributing to the goals established in the Spanish Forest Strategy Horizon 2050 and other related national plans. On the other hand, Ruraltxa!, coordinated by the University of A Coruña, is committed to promoting traditional activities linked to the conservation of habitats as a driver of development for the rural bioeconomy. The initiative contemplates the mapping and characterization of these activities in socioeconomic, legal and administrative terms, evaluating their conservation status and designing livestock management plans based on concrete results. These actions include specific indicators, management recommendations and measures such as ecological restoration, elimination of invasive species and adaptation of livestock infrastructure. In addition, the project seeks to create a Work Network that promotes the valorization of local products, encourages ecotourism and facilitates the transfer of results to other areas, consolidating a sustainable model of rural development.
A call to action
International Mountain Day is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of these ecosystems and the need for urgent action to protect them. Through innovation, climate change adaptation, and boosting youth participation, we can build a more sustainable future for mountain communities and ecosystems. By adopting collaborative and sustainable solutions, both locally and globally, we can ensure that mountains remain sources of life and resources for future generations.
