Our goal

This project group wants to make the value of trails measurable. We are looking for data and analytical methods that show what trails contribute to society, and for ways to use trails as places of learning.

Why this matters

For roads and cycle paths, there are established ways to calculate their value. For trails, such figures are mostly missing. Trail organizations know that their trails matter for health, tourism, jobs and nature, but when they sit at the table with funding bodies or public authorities, they can rarely prove it. Decisions are then made without the trails.

Trails are also places where people learn. On a trail, people experience nature directly, and this is where environmental education works best, for trail users as well as for school classes and training programs.

Why now

The EU and many Member States are currently deciding how funding will be distributed in the coming years. Funding increasingly follows what can be measured. If the value of trails is not documented, trails will lose out against sectors that can present clear figures. The European Trails Policy Paper therefore calls for better evidence and data on trail use and its impact at EU level.