Lausanne, Switzerland: 27 September 2021 – The Sustainable Mountain Alliance (SMA) is launched today on World Tourism Day to help protect the environment that is the most sensitive to climate change, the mountains. A Swiss based non-profit organisation, the SMA’s vision is to facilitate the transition to sustainable sports and tourism in the mountain environment, providing a collaborative platform that identifies and supports inspirational, innovative solutions and a regenerative economy in the mountains.
The SMA is committed to Measure, Protect and Regenerate the mountain environment.
- MEASURE: to scientifically assess the impact of human sports and tourism activities on the mountain environment. Such measurement enables reduction of negative impact and the identification of adaptive solutions to the impact of climate change.
- PROTECT: with mountains being the most sensitive environment to climate change and crucial to life on earth, the Alliance, guided by science, provides support for initiatives that protect the mountain environment and its people.
- REGENERATE: we identify innovative regenerative solutions that serve in the adaptation of sports and tourism activities to climate change impacts within the mountains. We facilitate partnerships and synergies, encourage impact investment, provide guidance and best practice that focus on stimulating regenerative systemic change.
SMA members are trusted organisations with whom the SMA will work across the following SMA programmes:
- Sustainable Sports and Tourism: to ensure mountain tourism and sports events are conducted in the most sustainable way possible.
- Sustainable Luxury: to identify catalysts who promote aspirational societal change, influencing behavioural norms of what is desirable, typical or expected to enable the transition to sustainable luxury lifestyles and products in the mountain environment.
- Science to Advocacy: to ensure science guides the harmonisation of mountain knowledge and the steps needed to preserve the ecosystem.
The SMA Impact Fund will support mountain-based adaptive Solutions to climate change that conserve the mountain ecosystem whilst advancing a regenerative sports and tourism economy. The SMA Awards will be launched soon. The first missions of the SMA will see us working locally with the Marangu community in Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania through SMA member The Big Climb and in Swiss alpine resort, Verbier with VERBIER ZERO. The SMA welcomes the first Sustainable Luxury Alliance member and Solution in the category ‘Beauty’: Beauty Disrupted.
Step by step we will collaborate, exchange knowledge and good practice, identify sustainable solutions and support a regenerative sport and tourism economy in mountain regions around the globe.
Mountains Matter
Mountains cover around 27% of the planet, support 22% of the world’s population, and are the milieu for millions of mountain sport athletes and tourists. As the world’s ‘Water Towers’, mountains supply around half of the world’s population with drinking water, water for irrigation, power generation and other invaluable water resources. Furthermore, mountains are islands of biodiversity, home to more than 85% of the world’s species of amphibians, birds, and mammals, far exceeding the species diversity of the lowland.
Some of the clearest indications of climate change are found in the mountains: rising temperatures, melting glaciers and changing precipitation patterns that are disrupting water flows and affecting ecosystems, creating and worsening natural hazards and threatening livelihoods and communities both within the mountains and downstream. Because climate impacts are often more profound in mountains and affect people already confronting poverty and land degradation, mountain livelihoods are particularly sensitive to climate change.
The SMA will seek to ensure sustainable mountain development and mountain ecosystem conservation as highlighted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Follow and support us as we explore the most beautiful and unique mountain regions on this planet, supporting and encouraging sustainable solutions for sport and tourism in the mountains.
Instagram: @SustainableMountainAlliance
Twitter : @SMASportTourism