Historically, most people have tended to visit national parks for ‘rest, relaxation and reinvigoration’, typically resulting in moderate ecological impacts. However, increasingly, recreation in natural areas is including ‘adventure’ sports. One such recreation/sport that now incorporates a range of forms, including adventure derivatives, is mountain biking. In the more extreme forms, riders use extensive trials, often with steep segments and natural or human-made obstacles demonstrate technical skills (e.g., balance, calculated risk-taking, excitement, speed). Appreciation of the natural environment is seldom, if ever, a reason for participation. In this paper we consider the potential for impact on the fauna of national parks. While there is a dearth of information on the impact of mountain biking, we conclude that park management needs to be strategic in their consideration of the issues associated with mountain biking or the outcome will be further degradation of natural areas and, at the least, loss of many animals if not major threats to populations.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research-Article|
February 07 2013
Is the evolving sport of mountain biking compatible with fauna conservation in national parks?
Shelley Burgin;
Shelley Burgin
1
Mirvac School of Sustainable Development, Bond University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, 4229
Search for other works by this author on:
Nigel Hardiman
Nigel Hardiman
2
School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury Campus, Kent, CT2 7NZ
Search for other works by this author on:
Australian Zoologist (2012) 36 (2): 201–208.
Citation
Shelley Burgin, Nigel Hardiman; Is the evolving sport of mountain biking compatible with fauna conservation in national parks?. Australian Zoologist 1 January 2012; 36 (2): 201–208. doi: https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2012.016
Download citation file:

How do RZS NSW members access the full text papers?
If you are a current RZS NSW member (with publications), please access the full text of papers by visiting https://www.rzsnsw.org.au/member-centre/publications (you will be asked to log in to RZS NSW). Do not log in at the top of this current page for access.
Citing articles via
A review of the taxonomy and distribution of Australia’s endemic Calyptorhynchinae black cockatoos
Denis A Saunders, Geoffrey Pickup
The discovery of the remains of the last Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus)
Robert N. Paddle, Kathryn M. Medlock
A trapping survey of small, ground-dwelling vertebrates in the Little Desert National Park, Victoria
Nick Clemann, Kirstin Long, Damien Skurrie, Jason Dzuris
Fauna of the grassland-forest landscape mosaics of the Bunya Mountains, eastern Australia
Geoffrey Smith, Roderick Fensham, Daniel Ferguson, Luke Hogan, Michael Mathieson
A Catalogue of the Thylacine captured on film
Stephen R. Sleightholme, Cameron R. Campbell