A crackdown on illegal trails by the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions has caused widespread anger among WA mountain-bikers.

The department destroyed at least 8km of tracks in Gooseberry Hill this week with earth-moving equipment, ripping through native vegetation and dragging debris through the area.

Mountain-bikers were stunned at the level of destruction and over what they say was a lack of consultation by the department over a section of trail they’ve been riding for up to 10 years.

Riverton mountain-biker Phil Khoury rides the trails at least twice a week, often to get through to the sanctioned Kalamunda Circuit, and was one of the first riders to come across the damage on Thursday morning.

“I was shocked – it was like ‘how can they do this’,” he said.

“There are a lot of people who are very upset about this. The department think it is going to go away but it won’t.”

Camera Icon Phil Khoury - a Riverton mountain-biker - came across the ruined track. Credit: Supplied

Many riders have hit out on social media, saying they would build more trails faster than the department could knock them down.

Mr Khoury said the legal trail network around Kalamunda and WA was fantastic but there were no trails in the Perth Hills that catered for advanced riders like the trails around the valley did.

A Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions spokeswoman said the trails were “unsustainable, creating substantial erosion and continued environmental degradation within the national parks”.

She said the department contacted the WA Mountain Bike Association and erected signs in the area ahead of the destruction, but dozens of riders who regularly ride the tracks say they were not informed.

“I never saw any signs or knew about it – we all talk to each other so you think we would have known,” Mr Khoury said.

Camera Icon The destroyed mountain-bike tracks. Credit: Facebook

WA Mountain Bike Association president Alex Wade said he was very disappointed with the way the department had managed the rehabilitation of these trails.

He said he was “made aware of the possibility of rehabilitation works” May 31 but when he sought further information the department failed to provide it.

“WAMBA found out that the works had been completed via a Facebook post and have engaged with representatives from DBCA to ensure the issues of this type are managed more effectively in the future,” he said.

“The committee is working closely with the Kalamunda Collective – a key stakeholder in this situation. More information will be made available to the riding community once these discussions have concluded.”

Camera Icon Plants have been uprooted on the track. Credit: Facebook

The department spokeswoman said “rehabilitation work” in the area would continue “to prevent further degradation and ongoing construction of illegal trails”.

“Rehabilitation work includes breaking up the trail surface and dragging debris over the area to stop continued use and encourage natural regeneration,” she said.

Mr Khoury said the department should be held accountable for their own impact on the environment, which he argued was worse than that of cyclists.

“The trails were only 30cm wide and they have gone through with three metre wide tracks in some places,” he said.

“Most of the trails were kangaroo tracks to begin with.”

Many riders are worried about the level of erosion the department’s actions could cause, in an area where dieback is a concern.

The department spokeswoman acknowledged the explosive growth of mountain-biking in WA and said they had invested more than $1 million in the construction of mountain-bike trails in the State.

Cycling lobby group WestCycle chief executive Matt Fulton said the sport is so popular that the approved development of trails was not keeping up with the huge demand.

“What we are seeing at the moment is disappointing but not unexpected. Mountain biking as a form of sport and recreation has exploded all over the world in recent years but the infrastructure to support the activity hasn’t kept up with demand which leads to trails being build that are classified as unsanctioned,” he said.

“Development of the infrastructure sustainably takes time, planning and funding. The rise of mountain biking has been so rapid that despite the efforts of all involved it just hasn’t kept up.

“There are complex environmental issues at play in these circumstance that the community need to respect.

“In this circumstance the communication between parties could have been better to avoid the significance of the backlash that is occurring.”

Mr Fulton said WestCyle was in talks with government bodies to further develop the highly popular Perth Hills mountain-bike region.

“Both Sport and Recreation WA and Parks and Wildlife are pursuing and advocating for substantial investments in new trails,” he said.

“For these to be realised communication between all parties needs to be improved and respect and understanding of the others objectives realised.

“The Perth Hills are a hot spot for mountain biking. Unfortunately legal trail development in this area is significantly constrained due to restrictions on activities in water catchment areas. The current review of this policy will hopefully open up greater opportunities for the mountain bike community”.

Camera Icon The destoryed tracks Credit: Facebook

A huge proportion of WA’s mountain-bike trail network was developed from illegal trails – about 90 per cent of the Kalamunda Circuit, which contains 45km of trails, was illegal to begin with.

The department’s crackdown shows the “build first, ask permission later” model does not always apply.

Kalamunda Mountain Bike Collective president Shane Williams said he believed there was a lack of communication from the department about the destruction of these trails and called on them to halt rehabilitation work until a more concrete plan to develop the area was finalised.

“It cannot be denied that the illegal trails have caused in sections environmental degradation within a national park, but we believe that the rehabilitation work carried out to these trails is more detrimental to the environment,” he said.

“We are in constant talks with all involved government departments and are pushing forward to encompass the ‘valley area’ in a proposed mountain bike dedicated area.

“We believe all rehabilitation works carried out by DBCA should not proceed until this area is worked out among us riders and these departments.”

He said the collective would meet with the WA Mountain Bike Association this week to discuss a way forward.