International Mountain Day is intended to draw attention to the importance of mountain regions for the planet’s ecosystem, their significance for humanity and the need to protect them. Mountains occupy about 27% of the land surface and are home to 15% of the world’s population, playing a key role in maintaining natural and cultural diversity.
International Mountain Day 2025 is an opportunity to highlight the importance of glacier preservation for agriculture, water security and the livelihoods of vulnerable mountain communities.
Glaciers, vast reserves of ice and snow found across the planet, are far more than frozen landscapes – they are lifelines for ecosystems and communities. Yet, these critical components of the Earth’s systems are undergoing rapid and alarming transformations with profound consequences for us all.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation to raise awareness on the vital role glaciers, snow and ice play in the climate system and water cycle, as well as the far-reaching impacts of rapid glacial melt. It aims to promote global collaboration, strengthen scientific research, and promote policies and actions to protect glaciers and cryospheric systems.
Glaciers and ice sheets hold around 70 percent of the world’s freshwater. Their accelerated melting represents not only an environmental crisis, but a humanitarian one, threatening agriculture, clean energy, water security and billions of peoples’ lives. Their retreat, driven by rising global temperatures, is a stark indicator of the climate crisis. Melting glaciers and thawing permafrost increase risks such as floods, glacier lake outburst floods, landslides or enhanced erosion and sediment, endangering downstream populations and critical infrastructure.
Economically, sectors like agriculture, hydropower, mountain tourism and transportation feel the strain of glacier changes. For many Indigenous Peoples, glaciers are sacred, and their disappearance signifies a loss of identity and connection to nature.
IMD 2025 is a contribution to the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025, supporting efforts to underscore the critical role mountain regions play as a key source of global freshwater and ecosystem services.
More than 2 billion people, including many Indigenous Peoples, rely on melt from glaciers and snow for their freshwater, including for their food security, livelihood, cultural and domestic needs. Immediate and collective action is needed to protect mountains and glaciers from the impacts of climate change.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions are critical for stabilizing the climate and preserving glaciers. Advancements in glacier data and monitoring can guide effective adaptation and mitigation strategies. Indigenous Peoples and youth can drive collective action and lead the way forward. National policies must address glacier-related challenges, from integrated water management to the establishment of protected areas and alert systems for cryospheric risks. Global cooperation is essential to mobilize resources, share knowledge and ensure glaciers are safeguarded for future generations.
Nepal’s diverse geography is divided into three primary physiographic regions: Himals or high mountains known as the Himalayan Mountains, Pahaad, the Hill region and the Teari, Southern Plains. It is to note that 43% of the total land of Nepal is occupied by mountains and hills where 15% is solely occupied by mountains. Each region of Nepal showcases unique ecosystems essential for the country’s environment and the livelihoods of its inhabitants. While religious sites, such as temples and monasteries, have cultural significance and sometimes link to the preservation of local sacred groves, it is the physical landscape that primarily defines regional ecosystems.
In the north lies the Himalayan region, home to eight of the world’s ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest. This area features alpine meadows, subalpine conifer forests, and glaciers, making it a biodiversity hotspot with many endemic species and holding the third-largest accumulation of snow and ice globally. The local economy primarily relies on pastoralism, gathering medicinal plants, and limited cultivation of cold-tolerant crops like potatoes and barley, with tourism- particularly trekking and mountaineering – playing a vital role in providing employment.
The hills of Nepal, forming the largest land area between the Himalayas and the southern plains, stretch across subtropical to temperate climates. They comprise diverse broadleaf and pine forests, river valleys, and significant farmland, all crucial for regulating water flow, preventing soil erosion, and providing resources like fodder, timber, and fuelwood. Agriculture thrives, utilizing terraced farming for crops such as rice, maize, millet, wheat, and various fruits, with community forestry programs successfully ensuring sustainable resource management.
In the Terai region, a low-lying, fertile belt of floodplains along the southern border with India, rich ecosystems include dense forests and grasslands. This region is a critical habitat for large mammals like the Bengal tiger, one-horned rhinoceros, and Asian elephant, many endangered. Known as Nepal’s “breadbasket,” it supports extensive agriculture due to highly fertile alluvial soil and rainfall, producing crops like rice, wheat, and sugarcane. The forests provide valuable timber, contributing significantly to revenue, while national parks like Chitwan and Bardiya promote a burgeoning ecotourism industry.
These three regions – mountains, hills, and plains – are interconnected, with mountains and hills acting as watersheds for fertile agricultural lands in the Terai. They collectively offer a wide array of ecosystem services vital for the well-being and survival of Nepal’s population.
However, climate change poses significant threats to these ecosystems through rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and melting glaciers leading to landslides and floods. Vulnerable communities suffer disproportionately from extreme events and resource scarcity, affecting ecosystem balance and cultural heritage. Deforestation and land mismanagement exacerbate the degradation across these landscapes.
Rapid glacier melt causes glacial lake outburst floods, damaging infrastructure and agriculture. Furthermore, unstable slopes from deforestation contribute to landslides that block access to villages. Shifting monsoon patterns introduce intense rains, leading to food insecurity and migration. The extreme heat and waterborne diseases escalate health challenges.
In summary, climate change intensifies vulnerabilities across Nepal, perpetuating poverty cycles and displacement while threatening diverse ecosystems and cultural roots. Recognizing the vital role of mountain regions in providing freshwater, energy, and biodiversity is essential for sustainable development, support, and the well-being of mountain communities. These areas must be prioritized to overcome the social and economic challenges faced by the inhabitants.
Promoting environmental sustainability. Preserving mountain ecosystems and their resources requires efforts to reduce human impact, protect nature, reduce deforestation and develop sustainable land use practices. (By R.P. Narayan)
