The calls come following a motion lodged in the ACT assembly by Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury, calling for investigating options of retaining existing trails at both Kowen Forest and Majura Pines.

Mountain bikers are set to lose about 70 per cent of volunteer-built trails at Kowen Forest over five years, with 32 recreational trails already destroyed.

Mr Rattenbury said a mountain biking and cycling tourism strategy should be developed, in order to develop Canberra as a "genuine cycling capital".

"We should be improving and protecting the trails, taking advantage of the fact Canberra already has an excellent reputation as a destination for off-road riding, as well as on-road," he said.

"We could become Australia's mountain biking capital." Convener of the Majura Pines Trail Alliance, Michael Davison, said the recent motion was a "meaningful first step" in order to preserve Canberra's many mountain bike trails.

"There's more to the ACT's forests than just the timber and its commercial value," he said.

"It needs to be recognised that our forests are used for lots of recreational activities, particularly mountain biking."

Mr Davison said many people from interstate were coming to Canberra specifically for the mountain bike trails.

Visitor monitoring of Majura Pines over the past two years show there's been 50,000 riders using the trails, with 23 per cent of those coming from interstate.

"The economic value is there, but the important thing is that these trails are accessible for everyone," Mr Davison said. "We're optimistic and we're seeing developments around the country in other areas where councils and local governments are funding resources into purpose-built areas.”

Environment and planning directorate deputy director-general Dr Erin Brady said the directorate obtained an agreement with the trail alliance for a harvesting approach at Majura Pines for the next 10 years.

"Forest managers will discuss the preferred options for individual tracks at Majura Pines during the harvest planning to inform operational decisions regarding which tracks could be retained," she said.

"Discussions have been and continue to focus on identifying new areas at Kowen in younger strands of trees and pockets of native vegetation that can be used for mountain bike trails for many years in the future," Dr Brady said. Progress on the motion will be reported in the first sitting week of 2018.