On Thursday, 11 December 2025, the IGU Commission of Mountain Studies and the Biogeography and Biodiversity Commission will jointly host an online seminar to mark International Mountain Day (IMD).

Designated by the UN General Assembly in 2002, International Mountain Day has been observed every 11 December since 2003 to raise awareness of the vital role mountains play for people and the planet. The 2025 theme is: “Glaciers matter for water, food and livelihoods in mountains and beyond”, highlighting the crucial role of glaciers in the climate system and water cycle, as well as the far-reaching impacts of their rapid retreat.

The seminar will take place from 15:00 to 16:30 GMT and will include two main sessions:

Welcome Remarks (15:00–15:10)

  • Prof. Fausto Sarmiento (IGU Chair, Commission of Mountain Studies, University of Georgia, USA)
    Montology at the epistemological and ontological mountain frontier

Session 1: Recent Warming in Mountain Regions (15:10–15:50)
Coordinator: Dr. Suraj Mal (Co-chair, IGU Commission on Biogeography and Biodiversity, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India)

  • Dr. Pyarimohan Maharana, University of Delhi, India – Changing climates in the mountains
  • Dr. Rakesh Bhambri, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, India – Monitoring Himalayan glaciers and associated hazards using ground and space observations

Session 2: Mountain Regions: Socio-Spatial Transformations and Environmental Change (15:50–16:30)
Coordinator: Asst. Prof. Neslihan Dal (Secretary, IGU Commission of Mountain Studies, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Turkey)

  • Prof. Andrea Fischer, Austria – Glacier recession and blooming settlements: Tackling the changes from geodata as basis for sustainable transformations
  • Prof. Andreas Haller, Austria – Urbanization and the verticality of rural–urban linkages in mountains

Join the Seminar:

This seminar aims to explore the 2025 IMD theme from an interdisciplinary perspective, raising global awareness about the challenges facing glaciers and mountain ecosystems. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the latest research and observations on environmental and socio-spatial transformations in mountain regions.