KATHMANDU, MARCH 3 Nepal has taken a further step toward strengthening safety standards in its trekking and adventure tourism sector with the completion of a 10-day Trekking-Based Search and Rescue Basic Training in the capital. The training concluded on Saturday at the secretariat of the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) in Maligaon. The programme was jointly organised by TAAN and the Sustainable Tourism Project (STP) in collaboration with the Trekking Guide Association of Nepal (TGAN). The Sustainable Tourism Project is a joint initiative of the Nepal Tourism Board and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), aimed at promoting sustainability and resilience in Nepal's tourism industry. A total of 16 professional licensed trekking guides, including two women, from various trekking regions such as Sudurpashchim, Dolpa, Manaslu, Helambu, Rolwaling and Everest successfully completed the course. The training was designed to enhance the operational capacity of field-level trekking guides in responding to emergencies and disasters in mountainous terrain. The comprehensive curriculum covered fundamental aspects of trekking-based search and rescue operations, including disaster concepts, hazard identification, risk analysis and rapid incident assessment. Participants were trained in navigation and map reading, interpretation of real-time and forecast weather data, and the use of emergency lifesaving tools and techniques. Specialised modules addressed snow-based hazards and rescue, water-related incidents, landslides and rockfall response, forest fire emergencies, and altitude-related health risks such as Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). The programme also incorporated practical knowledge on coordination mechanisms during emergencies in remote mountain environments. Training sessions were delivered by experts from multiple institutions, including TAAN, the Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA), Nepal National Mountain Guide Association (NNMGA), National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), Armed Police Force, Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DoHM), Department of Forests and Soil Conservation (DoFSC) and ICIMOD, among others. At the closing and certificate distribution ceremony, certificates were awarded by TAAN President Sagar Pandey, Bagmati Province Culture and Tourism Ministry Secretary Dipendra Subedi and STP National Programme Manager Dharma Duwadi. Speakers at the event stressed that strengthening the technical competence of trekking guides is critical to ensuring the safety of trekkers, support staff and local communities, particularly as climate variability and high-altitude risks continue to pose challenges to Nepal's mountain tourism industry. Officials also expressed commitment to organising advanced-level training programmes in trekking-based search and rescue as part of broader efforts to professionalise and institutionalise safety standards in the sector.