{"id":6555,"date":"2025-07-20T19:48:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T19:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wnp.com.pk\/?p=6555"},"modified":"2025-07-20T19:48:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T19:48:12","slug":"young-eco-guards-raise-their-voices-21st-national-childrens-mountain-conservation-meet-concludes-with-call-to-climate-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/2025\/07\/20\/young-eco-guards-raise-their-voices-21st-national-childrens-mountain-conservation-meet-concludes-with-call-to-climate-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Eco-Guards raise their voices: 21st National Children\u2019s Mountain Conservation Meet concludes with call to climate action"},"content":{"rendered":"

ISLAMABAD, Sunday, July 20, 2025 : The 21st National Children\u2019s Mountain Conservation Meet (NCMC), organized by Adventure Foundation Pakistan (AFP), concluded on a high note in Islamabad, bringing together 100 young participants from across the country for an immersive environmental learning experience in the breathtaking Siran Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.<\/p>\n

The 10-day environmental education camp culminated in a Children\u2019s Mountain Forum held at Margalla Hotel, Islamabad, where the budding “Eco-Guards” showcased presentations on the theme \u201cClimate Change and its Impact on the Mountain Environment.\u201d The forum was graced by the Italian Ambassador to Pakistan, Marilina Armellin, as the chief guest.<\/p>\n

Welcoming the participants, Ali Hasan Habib, President of AFP, lauded the children and staff for successfully completing the conservation programme and praised their dedication to preserving Pakistan\u2019s natural heritage.<\/p>\n

Aftab Rana, National Coordinator of the NCMC, briefed the audience on the origins of the initiative, launched in 2002 during the International Year of Mountains. He said the meet uses Pakistan\u2019s diverse mountain environments as a living classroom to educate children about fragile ecosystems, biodiversity, and climate resilience.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach year, nearly 100 children from different regions of Pakistan are selected for this hands-on conservation camp,\u201d Rana said. \u201cThey leave not just with knowledge, but with a commitment to act\u2014earning the title of \u2018Eco-Guards\u2019 and pledging to undertake community-based environmental actions.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the forum, young speakers shared their field observations and offered actionable recommendations to government departments on addressing climate change impacts in Pakistan\u2019s mountainous areas. The event concluded with the presentation of a joint petition by the children, calling for stronger environmental protection and climate adaptation efforts.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In her address, Ambassador Armellin appreciated AFP\u2019s mission of reconnecting youth with nature in an increasingly digital world. \u201cWe must ensure our young generations remain grounded in the realities of Mother Earth,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The ambassador highlighted over a century of Italian-Pakistani cooperation in mountain and glacier research, recalling that Italy\u2019s first expedition to the region occurred in 1909. She also noted Italy\u2019s mountaineering legacy on K2, including the 1954 first ascent by Italian climbers Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni, and the establishment of the widely used \u201cAbruzzi Spur\u201d route.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ambassador Armellin praised the students\u2019 petition and expressed hope that relevant authorities would act on the children’s recommendations to safeguard Pakistan\u2019s mountain environments.<\/p>\n

To date, over 2,500 young participants and 500 staff have taken part in AFP\u2019s NCMC initiative. Since its founding in 1980, the Adventure Foundation Pakistan remains the country\u2019s only non-commercial organization dedicated to promoting environmental awareness and resilience through outdoor adventure-based education for all age groups.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ISLAMABAD, Sunday, July 20, 2025 : The 21st National Children\u2019s Mountain Conservation Meet (NCMC), organized by Adventure Foundation Pakistan (AFP), concluded on a high note in Islamabad, bringing together 100 young participants from across the country for an immersive environmental learning experience in the breathtaking Siran Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The 10-day environmental education camp […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6556,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-climate","category-diplomacy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}