NPAC Position Statement

The National Parks Australia Council (NPAC) has developed a position statement on mountain biking in response to increasing demands for access to protected areas for this activity, and with the purpose of informing the decision-making process regarding mountain bike trail development and activities in a way that aims to ensure the conservation integrity of protected areas.

Mountain biking in can have significant environmental and social impacts on protected and other natural areas, potentially degrading many of their values, and these are described in the position statement.

The NPAC Position Statement on Mountain Biking in Australia’s Protected Areas consists of three components:

  • A Mountain Bike Zoning Compatibility Matrix, providing guidance regarding the appropriateness or otherwise of the activity on different categories of reserved land.
  • A set of Principles for Mountain Biking in Protected Areas.
  • A Code of Conduct for Mountain Biking in Protected Areas, which expands on those developed by the International Mountain Biking Association to include best conservation practice.
Download NPAC Position Statement
DOWNLOAD CODE OF CONDUCT

 

Mountain bike riding. Photo: Alex Proimos/FLICKR

The Tasmanian National Parks Association offers an independent voice for Tasmania’s national parks and reserves, to ensure they are managed for the conservation of the values for which they were proclaimed.