international mountain day 2012, n.t.u.a m.i.r.c

7/30/2019 International Mountain Day 2012, N.T.U.A M.I.R.C

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Why protect mountains?Because every year it becomes more and more obvious that mountainous areas in Greece and worldwide are of essential

meaning for human life:

Mountains supply our planet with the most important natural resources; water, food and energy.80 percent of global water

resources is located to mountains. At the same time, mountainous areas constitute important hotspots of natural wealth, by

being particularly rich in biodiversity, in forest and mining resources and also by providing high quality local products. Still, ininaccessible mountainous regions local cultures have been developed, harmoniously adapted in the unique virgin local

natural environment, the techniques and survival practices of which constitute precious reserve of indigenous knowledge

and wisdom for the next generations.

Greece is the most mountainous country of the European Union along

with Austria. Mountainous areas in Greece account for 77.9 percent1

of

the total country area, while according to the Hellenic Statistical

Authority the area of the mountainous and semi mountainous

municipalities accounts for 71.3 percent of the country2. Globally,

mountainous areas cover the 1/5 of earths surface. About 10-12

percent of the world's population lives in the mountains, but over 50

percent are directly or indirectly dependent on mountain resources for

their survival3.

The importance of mountains for human life is simultaneously

economic, political, social, environmental and cultural, but mountains

and their populations face numerous environmental and social dangers.

Climate changes, deforestation, desertification, natural hazards,

depletion of mountainous wealth, degradation of mountainous

ecosystems and loss of biodiversity, demographic decline, the fact that

populations in mountainous regions are frequently among the poorest

in a given country4, one-dimensional tourist overexploitation, lack of

basic social and technical infrastructures and progressive disappearance

of local cultures, are the main dangers which threaten the mountainous

regions of our planet or determine their destiny.

Despite their enormous importance and the crucial problems that they

face, mountainous areas come for the first time at the forefront of

global debate, only in 1992, in the Rio Earth Summit5. Since then,

important efforts have been made to protect and sustainably develop

NORDREGIO,Mountain Areas in Europe: Analysis of mountain areas in EU memberstates, acceding and other European countries, European Commission contract No2002, CE.16.0.AT.136, Final report. 2004

National Statistical Service of Greece, Ddistributionof the countrys areaby basic

categories of landuse, 2005.The Mountain Partnership,www.mountainpartnership.org/

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly, 66/205.Sustainable mountain development,

14/03/2012Rio Earth Summit - Agenda 21, Chapter 13:Managing Fragile Ecosystems. Sustainable

Mountain Development

International Mountain Day

International Mountain Day is an opportunityto create awareness about the importance ofmountains to life, to highlight theopportunities and constraints in mountaindevelopment and to build partnerships thatwill bring positive change to the worlds

mountains and highlands6.

mountainous areas, without however, positive

results. The core of the so called sustainable

development is competitiveness,

entrepreneurship, innovation and flexible work

policies. In other words, objectives actions, that

cannot support an integrated (simultaneously

economic, social, political, cultural and

technical/technological) development of

vulnerable mountainous regions, a development

Worthliving by their inhabitants.

Mountainous people consist an integral part of

their natural and cultural environment and should

be the driving force behind the integrated

development and not the potential "investors",

owners, dominators and exploiters7

of these

areas.

6Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation7 Rokos, D. The Integrated Development of Mountainous

Areas. Theory and Practice, [in Greek] 3rd InterdisciplinaryInteruniveristy Conference of the N.T.U.A. and N.T.U.A.M.I.R.C. Metsovo, 2001.
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/studies/pdf/montagne/mount1.pdfhttp://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/studies/pdf/montagne/mount1.pdfhttp://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/studies/pdf/montagne/mount1.pdfhttp://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/studies/pdf/montagne/mount1.pdfhttp://www.mountainpartnership.org/http://www.mountainpartnership.org/http://www.mountainpartnership.org/http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=%20A/RES/66/205http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=%20A/RES/66/205http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=%20A/RES/66/205http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_13.shtmlhttp://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_13.shtmlhttp://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_13.shtmlhttp://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_13.shtmlhttp://www.fao.org/mnts/en/http://www.fao.org/mnts/en/http://www.fao.org/mnts/en/http://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/The_Integrated_Development_of_Mountainous_Areas.pdfhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/The_Integrated_Development_of_Mountainous_Areas.pdfhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/The_Integrated_Development_of_Mountainous_Areas.pdfhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/The_Integrated_Development_of_Mountainous_Areas.pdfhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/3rd_conference-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/3rd_conference-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/3rd_conference-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/3rd_conference-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/3rd_conference-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/3rd_conference-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/3rd_conference-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/3rd_conference-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/3rd_conference-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/3rd_conference-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/The_Integrated_Development_of_Mountainous_Areas.pdfhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/3rd_conference/The_Integrated_Development_of_Mountainous_Areas.pdfhttp://www.fao.org/mnts/en/http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_13.shtmlhttp://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_13.shtmlhttp://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=%20A/RES/66/205http://www.mountainpartnership.org/http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/studies/pdf/montagne/mount1.pdfhttp://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/studies/pdf/montagne/mount1.pdf


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Since its foundation in 1993, the key objective of the Metsovion Interdisciplinary Research Centre (M.I.R.C.) of the

National Technical University of Athens (N.T.U.A.) for the protection and development of mountainous environment and

local European cultures is the interdisciplinary approach, research, study and confrontation of environmental and

developmental issues in mountainous areas.

In order to achieve this goal N.T.U.A M.I.R.C., in constant cooperation with N.T.U.A Interdisciplinary Programme of

Postgraduate Studies "Environment and Development" and M.I.R.C. Development Foundation of the N.T.U.A, has

developed and develops a number of activities which include:

Undertaking research and interdisciplinary studies in the fields of integrated development and protection of themountainous environment and local European cultures, either from the N.T.U.A M.I.R.C. alone or in collaboration

with research laboratories of the N.T.U.A and / or the University of Ioannina, or other Greek or foreign educational,

research and scientific institutions.

The establishment of a relevant library.

The organization of triennial (since 1995) Interdisciplinary Interuniversity Conferences on Development andEnvironment, held in Metsovo.

The publication of its conferences and meetings proceedings. The cooperation with scientific, research, social and cultural organizations and networks. The publication of papers in scientific journals and conferences. The Interdisciplinary Programme of Postgraduate Studies on Environment and Development of Mountainous

Areas which is conducted in the N.T.U.A installation in Metsovo (N.T.U.A. M.I.R.C.), since 2008.

Additionally, N.T.U.A. M.I.R.C. Development Foundation, in collaboration with N.T.U.A M.I.R.C., organizes the 2nd

Competition for short documentary films regarding the Environment and Integrated Development of Mountainous

Areas, dedicated to Theo Angelopoulos. The aim of the Competition is to raise awareness about the potentials, problems

and threats of mountainous regions in our country and to contribute to the effort for mountainous areas revitalization,

especially in an era of multidimensional crisis. Moreover in order to support studies/surveys associated with mountains,

regularly announces awards to students/researchers for the best thesis, graduate or post graduate research papers in

related fields.

More information:

N.T.U.A. Metsovion Interdisciplinary Research Center (M.I.R.C.)

Interdisciplinary Programme of Postgraduate studies Environment and Development of N.T.U.A.

2nd Documentary Competition for the Integrated Development of Mountainous Areasorganized by N.T.U.A. M.I.R.C Development Foundation.

Contact us

N.T.U.A. Metsovion Interdisciplinary Research CenterNational Technical University of Athens, Metsovo 44200, GreeceTel. +30 26560 29040, +30 26560 29047, Fax. +30 26560 29046

N.T.U.A. Metsovion Interdisciplinary Research CenterNational Technical University of Athens, Patission 42, Athens 10682, GreeceTel. +30 210 7722593, +30 210 7723944-5, +30 210 7723482, Fax. +30 210 7723945

[email protected]://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/

Photos: N.Dologlou and M.Kofinas N.T.U.A M.I.R.C
http://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/index-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/index-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/index-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/index-gb.htmlhttp://www.survey.ntua.gr/environ/brief.pdfhttp://www.survey.ntua.gr/environ/brief.pdfhttp://www.survey.ntua.gr/environ/brief.pdfhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/index-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/index-gb.htmlhttp://www.survey.ntua.gr/environ/brief.pdfhttp://www.survey.ntua.gr/environ/brief.pdfhttp://www.survey.ntua.gr/environ/brief.pdfhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/docs/2nd_competition_en.pdfhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/docs/2nd_competition_en.pdfhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/docs/2nd_competition_en.pdfhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/docs/2nd_competition_en.pdfmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/http://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/http://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/mailto:[email protected]://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/docs/2nd_competition_en.pdfhttp://www.survey.ntua.gr/environ/brief.pdfhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/index-gb.htmlhttp://www.survey.ntua.gr/environ/brief.pdfhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/index-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/index-gb.htmlhttp://www.ntua.gr/MIRC/index-gb.html

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