What is Trails for Change?
Trails for Change is a transnational European initiative tackling a growing gap in the outdoor sports sector: while mountain biking, hiking, and trail running are more popular than ever, the frameworks that keep them sustainable are lagging behind.
Initiated by VELO SCHOOLS (North Macedonia), the project grew out of a pattern seen across partner countries — degraded trails, weak maintenance systems, conflicts between user groups, fragmented policies, and mounting pressure on natural areas. In North Macedonia alone, 96% of the territory is erosion-prone, making sustainable trail design not just useful, but essential.
A stronger approach: working together
Rather than addressing these challenges in isolation, Trails for Change unites a strategic consortium from eight countries, each bringing complementary expertise in trail management, environmental protection, and community engagement:
🇷🇸 Tara National Park · 🇲🇰 Šar Mountain National Park · 🇩🇪 Mountain Bike Forum Germany · 🇸🇮 SPANK Maribor · 🇲🇰 Velo Schools · 🇧🇪 Connect International · 🇦🇹 Mountainbike Schladming · 🇫🇮 Suomen Latu · 🇳🇱 IMBA Europe
Together, partners co-design practical solutions — training modules, policy frameworks, and real-life pilot actions — that can be adapted across different national contexts.
The goal
To shift the paradigm: from fragmented, reactive management toward a coordinated, knowledge-based, and sustainability-driven approach — where trail use, environmental conservation, and user coexistence go hand in hand.
Learn more: https://www.suomenlatu.fi/en/trails-for-change/
Co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Sport Programme.