International Mountain Day: Why we need to win the battle on the hills
Mountains give shelter to 15% of the world's population and most of the rivers and freshwater come from the mountains. Besides, mountains host about half of the world's biodiversity. But with the growing population and tourism, mountains now face a different challenge altogether. Most of the tourists dumped plastic bottles and other plastic material in the mountains that subsequently choke the rivers. So this year, the theme of International Mountain Day is aimed at 'sustainable mountain tourism.'