Field Notes: International Mountain Day

Nevis Conservation Officer Julia reflects on her connection to mountains, both home and abroad.

It's International Mountain Day, which got me thinking of the value of mountains to people’s lives. Whether literally or metaphorically, mountains captivate minds, inspire and push people, provide a place of refuge from daily realities and the space to just slow down and be.

For me, they occupy a lot of my time and have undoubtedly played a huge role in shaping my desire to help protect mountain environments.

Recently, I had a trip to Nepal trekking in the Annapurna region. It was quite a privilege to journey through its landscapes, and I’m aware it’s not one that’s afforded to all.

Whilst there, I experienced a glimpse of some of the effects climate change is having on rural mountain communities in Nepal, with an unsettling cyclone from India causing erratic weather patterns and damage to infrastructure and crops. Extreme weather events like this have become the norm in Nepal, and the acceleration of glacier melting is causing unpredictable flash floods, but also severe water scarcity issues.

It was incredible to see just how resilient Nepali people are, because they have to be. Adapting to the current climate is all they can do. But more sustainable solutions are needed to protect fragile mountain environments and the livelihoods of those who depend upon them.

Those who are disproportionately affected by climate change are the ones who have contributed the least. That is sadly where the massive climate injustice lies. While the effects of climate change on mountain environments in the UK feel less stark than the daily realities for those living in Nepal you don’t have to look far to see the effects.

Here at Nevis, our late-lying snow beds are melting earlier each year. These snow beds support a range of ecologically significant arctic-alpine species and lichen and bryophyte communities, which are designated under the Ben Nevis special area of conservation. These species are struggling with less snow cover and shorter winters, and just one example of the impacts our warming climate is having here locally.

I hope when you’re out in the mountains or hills close to home, that you take time to notice the species that coexist alongside us. Only when we truly care about the environments around us, and the living species which inhabit such spaces, can we actively seek to better protect them.

Fundamentally, that is the work we hope to achieve at JMT, as restoring nature and natural processes go hand in hand with restoring people's relationships with the natural world.