Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Italy

© Daniel Maran/Getty Image

The triumphant trio. International Mountain Day

Today, we celebrate International Mountain Day, an event to honour the towering giants of our planet. Among them are the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, or the 'Three Peaks of Lavaredo,' seen on the right in today's image. A part of the Sexten Dolomites in northeastern Italy, they're one of the most famous mountain groups in the Alps. These three peaks—Cima Grande, Cima Ovest and Cima Piccola—are a UNESCO World Heritage Site that captivates adventurers and nature lovers alike. During World War I, the front line between Italy and Austria-Hungary cut through the peaks, leaving the area with many remnants of the conflict, such as fortifications, trenches, tunnels and commemorative plaques.

International Mountain Day promotes sustainable mountain development and the preservation of these landscapes. Mountains are not only home to thousands of species of land animals and plants, but also to 15% of the world's human population. Because of climate change and overexploitation, the fragile ecosystems that mountains support—and the time we have to protect them—are slipping away faster than we think. Sometimes, even the mightiest peaks can't hold out forever.