Abstract
From 1970s, reflecting the rapid increase of the users, mountain bikers in the United States have faced severe conflicts with other forest trail users such as hikers, and the owners and managers of forestlands. International Mountain Bicycling Association （IMBA） was established in 1988 to respond to increasing regulations that banned mountain biking, and to legitimize their use of forest trails. Since then, through building nationwide systems including local chapters and supporting organizations, IMBA has acted as the advocacy group of mountain bikers in political lobbies, in the management of safety and risk in mountain biking, and has worked to resolve local conflicts. They also emphasized the philosophy of “the responsible mountain biking”, which meant bikers should sustainably maintain the trails they use through their volunteer works. To collaborate with other stakeholders by practicing trail management, IMBA and their local groups have succeeded in obtaining social approval for mountain bikers. These organized activities and strategies of IMBA are key to maintaining mountain biker access to forest trails, and have led to the maximization of the multiple benefits on forests in the US.
