Ecological impacts of mountain biking: A critical literature review

In the post-World War II period, public interest in outdoor recreation has grown steadily. As affluence and leisure time have increased, use of public lands for recreation has risen steadily, often exceeding 10% annual growth rates through the 1960s. Today, in many areas, intensive activity by recreational users, not industrial enterprise, poses the chief challenge for land managers and activists.

In recent years, participation in some recreational pursuits has grown at a much faster rate than others. Mountain biking, in particular, has expanded rapidly. In this announcement it reported "an estimated 13.5 million mountain bicyclists visit public lands each year to enjoy the variety of trails. What was once a low use activity that was easy to manage has become more complex". Despite this, there is currently a relative lack of scientific literature on the differential effects of mountain biking on natural systems. While the effects of recreation generally have been well studied, the extent to which mountain bicyclists affect natural systems differently remains only thinly represented in the literature.

This paper will undertake a comparative review of the extant scientific literature on the impact of recreational mountain biking on ecological systems. It will then identify key areas of weakness in the literature and suggest a framework for future research.