UIAA Mountain Protection Commission attends key international conference on mountains in the UK
Dr Carolina Adler (left) and Ms Valerie Thöni (right) at the «Mountains of Our Future Earth» conference in Perth, UK
Dr Carolina Adler was invited to chair the parallel research session on Sustainable Tourism Development, where Valérie Thöni presented the UIAA’s own environmental project, the Mountain Protection Platform and Award (MPA). A blog detailing a summary of the session’s proceedings can be accessed via this link. The purpose of the UIAA’s presentation was to not only showcase the MPA to the attending audience, but also to engage with the scientific community in the research and development of ideas that are central to sustainable development in mountain regions.
Linking with the scientific community on issues of mountain development has many benefits, for example to explore potential “citizen science” projects and initiatives, learn about latest developments and gaps in our current knowledge, opportunity to present the mountaineetring community as active participants in the monitoring of global change effects in mountains, as well placing the UIAA as a key player in brokering partnerships between scientific and climbing and mountaineering communities. Both Adler and Thöni took the opportunity to strengthen networking efforts that can foster closer collaborations between scientists, practitioners and the climbing communities that the UIAA represents.
– Argentina: Desertification prevention and capacity development project, by the Fundación Agreste
– Australia: Litchfield’s gold luxury environment tour, by Ethical Adventures
– Bulgaria: Traditional ecological knowledge of brown bear as a conservation tool in Rodopi Mountains, by Wild Rodopi
– Cambodia: Preservation programme in Cardamom Mountain Range by Wildlife Alliance
– Chile: Living Treasures: the Arrieros project by Flecha Extrema
– China: Peng Luo collaborative ecological programme by Eco Action Now
– France: Mountain Days campaign by Mountain Riders
– France: Obsolete facilities and war remnants removal by Mountain Wilderness
– India: Conservation and development initiative in Khaptad National Park, by the Tourism Development Society
– India : Waste management and cleanliness solutions for our mountains by Waste Warriors
– India: Agoda community development project by Shikhar Travels
– Ireland: Green track project to miners village – Glendalough, by Mountain Meitheal
– Latin America: International mountaineering and climbing encounters by Mujer Montaña
– Peru: Culture of Mountain education project, by the Centro Cultural de Montaña
– Switzerland: Deconstruction – for nature project by Mountain Wilderness
– Tajikistan: Energy management and alternative resources project, by Little Earth
– United States of America: Access Fund and Climbing Conservation Loan Program, by the American Alpine Club
The recipient of the UIAA MPA prize will be announced on 23 October 2015 at a special award ceremony to be held as part of the UIAA’s General Assembly meeting in Seoul, South Korea.