The UIAA & Mountain Sustainability

Maintaining mountains as wild and free for the enjoyment of mountaineers and for all humankind as well as for nature itself, knowing that these areas are the last natural, unspoilt and free spaces on earth.

At the heart of Mountain Protection 

The UIAA believes all those who have a stake in the well-being of the mountain environment should collectively work to raise awareness about the fragile nature of the mountain ecosystems, as well as to encourage responsible and sustainable behaviour and practices.

The UIAA’s activities focus on: 

• Promoting sustainable mountain regions development and rewarding innovative initiatives in adventure tourism and mountain conservation.
• Raising awareness about environmental issues and furthering education on mountain preservation and sustainable practice.
• Supporting concrete actions taken by our federations that aim to preserve the mountain environment in its natural state.
• Encouraging the adoption and respect by all of international declarations, including UIAA’s own ethical guidelines, in order to preserve mountain ecosystems and cultures.
• Liaising with international organisations on access and conservation issues and providing assistance, when requested, to member federations on such issues within their own countries.

The UIAA’s work in this field is supported by the Mountain Protection and Access commissions and through core projects like the annual Mountain Protection Award and Respect the Mountains series as well as international advocacy on behalf of its members, presence at major international summits and conferences, and activity around the annual 11 December International Mountain Day.