Women Move Mountains International Mountain Day
International Mountain Day is an environmental calendar day that celebrates the importance of mountains. It's celebrated annually on the 11th of December. The theme for this year's International Mountain Day is “Women move Mountains” which is an opportunity to raise awareness for the need to empower women so they can participate more fully in decision-making processes and exercise control over productive resources.
Mountains are a freshwater resource and home to many different plants and animals that exist nowhere else. The biodiversity eco-system of mountains can support mountain communities in that it can provide food, medicine, and tourism opportunities. Most mountainous areas, however, are facing environmental deterioration because of soil erosion, landslides, and an expedient loss of genetic variety and habitat. Mountain residents have a high rate of poverty. To safeguard the biodiversity of mountains, action must be taken.
Women living in close proximity of mountains rely on local natural resources including water, firewood, and medicinal herbs. They serve as stewards of traditional knowledge linked to biodiversity management, especially in terms of preserving, enhancing and maintaining the natural environment by sustainably using forests and rangeland resources. Women and girls will bear the brunt of biodiversity loss in mountainous areas; thus they have a significant opportunity to influence biodiversity conservation and sustainable usage.
Long-term viability of biodiversity conservation and sustainable usage initiatives depends on enabling women's full participation in decision-making. Mountainous communities are urged to provide women more control over productive resources and participation in decision-making. Women can become a driving force in the fight against hunger, malnutrition, and rural poverty if they have access to and control over natural resources. They will also play a key role in the growth of the mountain economy. They can contribute novel approaches and methods to deal with issues related to biodiversity in mountainous environments.
Related News
Environmental education gets a boost through CapeNature’s museum training
CapeNature has partnered with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS): Museum Services to expand environmental education across the Western Cape. During February 2026, CapeNature’s Learning and Awareness team trained 18 museum staff members from DCAS affiliated institutions to deliver activity-based programmes focused on water conservation
Western Cape marks World Wildlife Day as CapeNature highlights climate resilience and sustainable living
The Western Cape is marking World Wildlife Day on 3 March, a day proclaimed by the United Nations, by reaffirming its commitment to biodiversity protection, climate resilience and sustainable development, with CapeNature playing a central role in conserving the province’s natural heritage.
CapeNature Cubs Club Connect 2026 makes a splash with water-themed family fun
Scores of children and their families flocked to Jonkershoek Nature Reserve over the weekend to take part in a day of learning, laughter and connection in nature as part of CapeNature’s Cubs Club programme. Around 70 children and their families took part in the Cubs Club Connect 2026 event to celebrate this year’s theme, Water.
JOINT STATEMENT: Final Action Plan for baboons includes a sanctuary, fencing, and more
The Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT) consisting of representatives from SANParks, CapeNature, and the City of Cape Town, welcomes the judgment from the Western Cape High Court which allows the three authorities to continue with the implementation of the Action Plan for the management of the Chacma baboon population.
Reforest Fest returns to tackle climate action in the Western Cape
As the Western Cape recovers from one of its worst fire seasons on record, with over 132,000 hectares burned across the region in January alone, Greenpopʼs Reforest Fest returns this Easter weekend with a sense of renewed urgency. The four-day restoration festival at Bodhi Khaya Nature Retreat aims to plant 5,000 indigenous trees in degraded forest patches as part of Greenpopʼs ongoing work in the region.
CapeNature rangers praised for heroic rescue of stranded UK tourist
A visit to the iconic Robberg Nature Reserve and Marine Protected Area — one of the Garden Route’s most celebrated gems — turned into a life-threatening ordeal for a London tourist, and a powerful reminder of humanity of CapeNature’s field rangers. For Ms Rosalind Innes, Robberg had been a long-awaited addition to her South African travel itinerary.