On December 11, 2003, the UN General Assembly designated that date as the International Day of Mountains, after the UN had already proclaimed the year 2002 as the International Year of Mountains. These steps highlighted the need to raise awareness of the importance of mountains and the sustainable development of their environment. Bearing in mind the crucial role of mountains in maintaining ecosystems and their sensitivity to climate change, the goal of designating this International Day is to raise awareness of their importance.
Although many people may not know, the mountains comprise one quarter of the world's landscape. They are the main source of the world's drinking water and other resources, are significant centers of biological, geographical and landscape diversity, and are home to rare plant and animal species.
EVERYTHING ABOVE 500 METERS IS A MOUNTAIN!
Anything with an elevation of more than 500 meters is frequently called a mountain, while anything below 500 meters is a hill (although these boundaries can vary). In Croatia, areas more than 500 meters above sea level occupy about 21% of the total area of the country. The highest mountains are Dinara, Biokovo and Velebit.
Most Croatian mountains are part of the Dinaric Alps, or Dinarides, which stretch from Slovenia to Albania. These mountains are formed mostly of limestone and are characterized by karst relief, while the mountains in the interior (former islands of the Pannonian Sea) are somewhat lower, more wooded, older and generally more accessible.
Mountainous areas are sparsely populated, but on the other hand the richness of natural heritage, the diversity of the aboveground and underground relief forms, and the beauty of the landscape are extremely attractive for visiting and for recreation. Because of the need to preserve these qualities, many mountain areas are protected by a under a specific category of protection.
In the mountainous areas of Croatia, the strict nature reserves of Hajdučki and Rožanski kukovi and the Bijele and Samarske rocks, the national parks of Risnjak, Northern Velebit, Plitvice Lakes, Krka and Paklenica, and the nature parks of Učka, Velebit, Biokovo, Medvednica, Papuk and Žumberak-Samoborsko gorje can be singled out, but there are many other protected areas in the categories of special reserve, natural monument and significant landscape.
Many strictly protected species and endemics in Croatia find their habitats in the mountains, including wolf, lynx, bear, hawk owl, Velebit degenija, and Biokovo zvonce (Edraianthus pumilio), lady's slipper (Cypripedium calceolus), etc.
The International Day of Mountains in Croatia will often be marked by exhibitions, lectures, organized excursions and hiking trips, and the organizers of the event are museums, protected areas, associations and mountaineering societies. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of events this year is not very high but hiking and enjoying the fresh air and the beauty that the mountains give us can still be enjoyed.