International Mountain Day 2014

International Mountain Day 2014 with emphasis on mountain agriculture.

International Mountain Day, which we celebrate every year on 11 December, is already

traditionally dedicated to a selected theme. This year the emphasis is on mountain

agriculture. The international mountaineering community undoubtedly recognises

the important contribution of high-mountain farmers with all their

activities that they performed daily as woodcutters, hunters and shepherds, in

pioneering exploration of the mountains, often also guiding first ascenders

to the summits, and of course also in the construction of huts and paths. These were times when mountain farms survived with basic

activity, and the additional source of income for them was the forest, which farmers saw as a golden reserve for times

when they were renovating farm buildings or when the family was hit by some natural disaster. The life and work of the inhabitants

of mountain farms was thus harmonious long before we wrote this term into various strategies.

The entire agricultural sector in the Alpine countries is under pressure from global price and supply competition, despite

this, in some Alpine countries mountain agriculture has been successfully transformed into a protected brand of individual countries through planned agricultural policy and cooperation

between ministries of agriculture and tourism. Let us think

primarily of Austria, Switzerland or Bavaria, which we cannot imagine without alpine pastures and which with their offer

are a real magnet for hikers, touring cyclists etc. At the same time, mountain agriculture takes care of cultivating the landscape, which

is an important factor in tourist offerings.

Of course, relentless price competition forces high-mountain farms to adopt new technologies, which are partly

subsidised by the European Union and also affect the environment. Due to early mowing and other measures, biodiversity

of mountain meadows is decreasing with all the consequences we will encounter or are already

encountering.

Many farms in the high-mountain environment have, despite complicated procedures, already embarked on the path of additional tourist

offerings, one of the larger groups of beneficiaries of which we mountaineers are. Undoubtedly, this is a difficult and demanding path on

which often only the very best persevere, and when we sometimes critically look at the demands for the construction of new

forest roads, which are often in the interest of forest owners who have never seen their parcels and are only after

capital gains, then in the spirit of their valley comfort we just think that these people up there also

need to survive. That it is therefore not necessary for us mountaineers to drive almost to the top because of all this is a question

of our attitude and our culture towards the environment. We do not need to look far for evidence, just look a little across the border.

Mountaineers see mountain agriculture as a partner with whom we have many points of contact, both in the area

of mountain trails and the supply of mountain huts with local products, so it is necessary to maintain a constant dialogue.

Many mountain trails actually run through or along agricultural areas and the coexistence of mountaineer and farmer is usually

unproblematic, but with the emergence of new activities in the mountain world, relations with

agricultural activity also need to be properly regulated so that unpleasant misunderstandings do not arise. At the same time, we of course wish that mountain farms

operate in an environment that would give them more time for basic activity, rather than just navigating between constantly

changing regulations. Otherwise, we may find ourselves in the future with no one to talk to, and our

paths to the summits will lead through abandoned hay meadows, empty pastures and deserted villages.

Miro Eržen,

Vice-President of the Alpine Association of Slovenia and Head of the Slovenian Mountaineering Museum