Kathmandu Environmental Education Project (KEEP) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation. Its aims are twofold: to provide impartial and independent information to travellers, and to ensure the future ecological and cultural prosperity of Nepal through positive impact tourism and outreach project work.

The Kathmandu Environmental Education Project aims to help minimize the negative influences of tourism by advocating and promoting "minimum impact trekking", and through presentations and lectures to travellers and trekking industry professionals. These presentations sensitize visitors and Nepalese to issues of conservation and culture.

In the field, KEEP spreads its message to local Nepalese by offering training and courses on nature conservation, on basic and intermediate English for trekking guides and lodge owners, as well as first aid training, eco-trekking workshops, and courses on ecological thinking, Positive Impact Tourism, and regenerative handicraft skills, among others. Recently KEEP has become involved in programmes aimed at poverty alleviation and the empowerment of women.

Every year over 450,000 tourists visit the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal. Many of these visitors are not well informed about Nepalese cultural values or how vulnerable the natural environment is to tourism. They do not realise that their actions can adversely affect the country and its people. KEEP's original goal was to inform travellers about how they can minimize the negative effects of their tourism on Nepal.

A related aim of KEEP is to further its environmental goals by encouraging visitors to support responsible trekking agencies and lodge owners. Here the main point is to encourage visitors to contribute to organisations working for the long-term welfare of Nepal, rather than handing out rupees, sweet and pens to begging children.

KEEP has adopted a two-tiered approach to achieving its goals - working with visitors to Nepal, and working with the Nepalese themselves.

 

Uncover the World Limited (trading as Nepal Uncovered) is a lifetime member of KEEP and we regularly make donatitions to help ensure the valuable work of this organisation continues into the future. We provide all our clients with the KEEP Responsible Trekking in the Himalayas guide at the start of their tour and actively encourage responsible travel through our website and pre-departure information and though our well trained local staff, guides and porters.