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Francisco Sierra January 3, 2024 1500 × 1125 pixels

Bossons Glacier in 2011. Picture taken from https://www.camptocamp.org/articles/189798/fr/glacier-des-bossons-evolution

Want to see mountain nature better protected? Join us!

“Mountain wilderness” refers to any pristine, untouched mountain environment, where anyone can experience vast open spaces, silence, solitude, nature. “The value of wilderness therefore lies above all in its potential to stimulate a creative relationship between civilised man and the natural environment. It is the degree of authenticity of this relationship that gives a non-ephemeral meaning to adventure.”

This definition dates back to 1987, when the Biella theses, our manifesto, were written. They marked the birth of Mountain Wilderness.

Mountain Wilderness International (MWI) is the umbrella organisation of the national chapters of Mountain Wilderness. It facilitates communication and exchange among national chapters, coordinates and organises international projects and actions and officially represents the organisation in its relations with governments, authorities, international institutions and non-governmental organisations.

If you share our ideas and you wish to help us, please join a national chapter. Mountain Wilderness has chapters in a dozen countries.

Glacier of the Month

Mountain Wilderness International

6 days ago

"At the top of the mountains, they drill holes and then pour chemicals like ammonium nitrate into the ground to extract the rare earth minerals at the bottom". Once the chemicals have percolated through the mountainside, the solution is drained into collection pools, where minerals are precipitated out in a process called in-situ leaching, which has been applied for decades in mining rare earths in Myanmar's northern Kachin state.After a mountain has been leached, miners abandon the contaminated site, moving to the next place and starting all over again. ... See MoreSee Less

The dirty secrets behind Myanmar's rare-earths boom – DW – 05/24/2025

www.dw.com

Myanmar is caught in a scramble for minerals. Their exploitation is causing deaths and environmental harm in the country's Kachin State, activists tell DW. Can the region's independence movement make ...

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Mountain Wilderness International updated their status.

1 week ago

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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.

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Mountain Wilderness International

1 week ago

Carlo Alberto (Betto) Pinelli, one of the founding fathers of Mountain Wilderness, Honorary President of Mountain Wilderness International and Head of the Asian Desk, turns 90 on July 6th, just like the Dalai Lama. A personal memory, which takes us back to 1964 in Dharamsala, where the young Dalai Lama shared, amid smiles and metaphors, a vision of the world that still resonates today. ... See MoreSee Less

From the heart of Asia, a wish that rises like the wind - Mountain Wilderness

www.mountainwilderness.org

As he prepares to leave for Pakistan, where he will sign a Memorandum of Understanding between Mountain Wilderness International's Asian Desk and the government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, establishing a f...

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Mountain Wilderness International

2 weeks ago

'On Wednesday 28 May, in just one minute, the Birch Glacier collapsed and destroyed the historic and charming village of Blatten (population 300) in the Lötschental valley (canton of Valais).The mass of debris in Blatten reaches up to 100 metres.This dramatic event has been directly linked to climate change by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). ‘This is a potent warning about our warming world,’ said Céleste Saulo, the organisation's secretary-general in Geneva, on Monday."The acceleration of the Birch Glacier [which partly caused its collapse] is clearly linked to global warming. The permafrost is degrading, the rock is becoming unstable, blocks are falling and weighing down the glacier. Each case is unique, but we will now have to closely monitor glaciers on steep slopes and cross-reference glacial and geological data to adapt our vigilance," said Christophe Lambiel, lecturer and researcher at the University of Lausanne and specialist in permafrost and the evolution of Alpine landscapes, in Le Monde this weekend.While scientists are working to clarify the situation and determine what the future holds, solidarity efforts have multiplied throughout the Valais to help those affected.Barely a year after the Bérarde disaster and the storms in the Maggia and Bavona valleys (canton of Ticino) that killed seven people and destroyed 110 homes, concern is growing in mountain communities.While risk is part of life in the mountains, the acceleration and intensification of hazards caused by climate change are forcing us to rethink the way we live in the mountains and beyond.The mountains are sounding the alarm.'[ALERTE 🚨] 🏔🇨🇭 CATASTROPHE DE BLATTEN : point d'étape 6 jours après Mercredi 28 mai, en à peine une minute, le glacier du Birch s'est effondré et a détruit l'historique et charmant village de Blatten (300 habitants), dans la vallée du Lötschental (canton du Valais).La masse des éboulis à Blatten atteint plus de 100 mètres de haut par endroits.Un évènement dramatique, que l'Organisation Météorologique Mondiale (OMM) lie directement aux effets du dérèglement climatique. "C'est un avertissement puissant de notre monde qui se réchauffe" déclarait ce lundi Céleste Saulo, la secrétaire générale de l'organisation à Genève.📰« L’accélération du glacier du Birch [qui a en partie provoqué son effondrement] est clairement liée au réchauffement climatique. Le permafrost se dégrade, la roche devient instable, des blocs chutent et alourdissent le glacier. Chaque cas est unique, mais il faudra désormais surveiller de près les glaciers sous versants raides et croiser données glaciaires et géologiques pour adapter notre vigilance. » analyse Christophe Lambiel, maître d’enseignement et de recherche à l’université de Lausanne, spécialiste du permafrost et de l’évolution des paysages alpins dans Le Monde ce week-end.En attendant que les scientifiques précisent le constat et que les perspectives d'avenir puissent se dessiner, les actions de solidarité se sont multipliées dans tout le Valais pour venir en aide aux sinistrés. Un an à peine après la catastrophe de la Bérarde, et les intempéries dans le Val Maggia et le Val Bavona (canton du Tessin) qui avaient causé la mort de 7 personnes et la destruction de 110 maisons, l'inquiétude est de plus en plus forte dans le milieu montagnard.Si le risque est une composante de la vie en montagne, l'accélération et l'intensification des aléas causées par le dérèglement climatique nous obligent à repenser nos manières de vivre en montagne, et au-delà.Les montagnes lancent un cri d'alerte 📢📢📢📸©AFP PhotosMountain Wilderness International - Mountain Wilderness CH ... See MoreSee Less

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Mountain Wilderness International

2 weeks ago

“Glaciers, especially in non-polar regions, are very much at the forefront of global warming (...) They are water reservoirs for millions of people, so if the ice completely disappears there will be huge problems. We are witnessing what is happening and it must be documented so we can leave something for future scientists. This is our duty.” ... See MoreSee Less

‘Like touching climate change’: glaciers reveal records of the way the world was

www.theguardian.com

Scientists drill for ice cores containing information on preindustrial pollutants, but they are in a race against time

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Retweet on Twitter Mountain Wilderness International Retweeted

United Nations Geneva @ungeneva ·

6 Jun

Glaciers have lost 9,000 gigatons of ice since 1975.

@WMO Scientific Officer Sulagna Mishra calls for rapid 🌐emissions cuts, better monitoring & strong political commitments, all of which will be be formalized in the High-Level Glaciers Preservation conference’s declaration⤵️

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Mountain Wilderness International @mwildernessint ·

7 Jun

"At the top of the mountains, they drill holes & then pour chemicals into the ground to extract rare earth minerals at the bottom". This is in-situ leaching in Myanmar. After a mountain has been leached, miners move to the next place & start all over again

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Retweet on Twitter Mountain Wilderness International Retweeted

UN Environment Programme @unep ·

5 Jun

From the Arctic to the Alps, the Rockies to Mount Everest—plastic pollution has reached even the highest peaks of our planet.

But solutions exist – let's come together to #BeatPlasticPollution.

#WorldEnvironmentDay

https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/

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Mountain Wilderness International @mwildernessint ·

3 Jun

Carlo Alberto Pinelli, one of the founding fathers of Mountain Wilderness, turns 90 on July 6th, just like the Dalai Lama. A personal memory, which takes us back to 1964, where the young Dalai Lama shared a vision of the world that still resonates today

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Mountain Wilderness International @mwildernessint ·

31 May

“#Glaciers are (...) at the forefront of #globalwarming (...) They are water reservoirs for millions of people, so if the ice completely disappears there will be huge problems (...) it must be documented (...) for future scientists. This is our duty.”

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