Participants in popular mountain biking events in peri-urban protected areas: how many are too many?

In peri-urban settings, popular outdoor sporting events such as mountain biking and trail running frequently occur in natural and protected areas. While managers and researchers may perceive the number of participants as increasing pressure on these territories, visitors, users and other stakeholders often view these activities favourably and as environmentally friendly. Leveraging data from a popular mountain biking event held in Arrábida Natural Park, encompassing 4,464 participants across six editions, this research investigated the spatial dynamics between the participants and the event region to evaluate what additional pressure these events might exert on these territories. Findings showed that up to 70 % of participants originated from the park’s vicinity, with only 15% travelling beyond 50 km to attend the event. Moreover, the majority self-identified as regular park users, having ridden within the area nearly weekly, contrasting with non-regular users who resided farther away and rode in the area approximately once every nine months on average. Comparative analysis with 148 other popular mountain biking events nationwide, totalling 35,147 participants, revelaed consistent distance patterns, albeit greater for events with larger participant numbers or held in less populated locales. When deciding whether or not to authorise these events, managers should always prioritise conservation and consider other factors such as seasonality and race routes. Nonetheless, these events could be harnessed to directly benefit the park’s mission and activities, facilitating enhanced communication between managers and participants, most of whom are regular park users.