As the holiday season is approaching, and our mountains are dusted with snow, it is the perfect time to celebrate International Mountain Day (IMD). Each year, we plan the festivities, including exciting activities, campaigns and events on December 11th, where the world comes together to bring attention to the importance and value of mountain regions and vibrant the life within them.
This year all celebrations are virtual we have partnered with the Reconciling Ways of Knowing: Indigenous Knowledge and Science Forum to host, “Why Mountains Matter: Respecting the Biocultural Diversity of Our Mountain Regionsâ€, taking place online Friday, December 11 at 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Pacific / 12:00 – 3:00 pm Central / 2:00 – 5:00 pm Atlantic. This year’s IMD theme is mountain biodiversity and this event highlights indigenous and scientific ways of knowing to better appreciate, preserve and co-exist with the diverse life within mountain ecosystems.
CMN Co-Director Norma Kassi and Miles Richardson O.C. (RWoK Co-Chair, Haida Nation) will open the event and two panels will be moderated by Lisa Charleyboy, a writer, storyteller, editor, and social entrepreneur of the Tsilhqot’in First Nations from Tsi Del Del in British Columbia.
The first panel, “Assessing our Understandings of Mountainsâ€, is a discussion on approaches to assessing and caring for the biological and cultural diversity of mountain regions and the launch of the Canadian Mountain Assessment. The Canadian Mountain Assessment (CMA) is a landmark initiative aiming to answer fundamental questions about the state of knowledge of Canada’s mountain systems informed by both Indigenous knowledge and Western science. Speakers include  climate change and adaptation researcher Dr Graham McDowell, and knowledge keepers, Elder Ira Provost (Piikani First Nation), and Kathryn Teneese (Ktunaxa Nation)Â
The second panel, “Sustaining the Biocultural Diversity of Our Mountain Regionsâ€, focuses on how understandings of Ethical Space and Two-Eyed Seeing are critical to meeting our international commitments, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals, to sustain biological and cultural diversity. The panel features geography and community planning professor Dr. Pamela Shaw, and knowledge keepers Eli Enns Nuu-chah-nulth Nation) and Steven Nitah (Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation).
There will also be a chance for the audience to participate and ask questions at the end of each panel.
We hope you can join us for an exciting virtual IMD 2020
The post Special event: Why Mountains Matter: Bringing Indigenous Knowledge and Science Together for International Mountain Day appeared first on Canadian Mountain Network.
