Campaigners on both sides of the referendum debate have been urged to set out how they would protect wild land and mountains in order to boost tourism.
The Mountaineering Council of Scotland wants pro-independence group Yes Scotland and pro-UK group Better Together to answer five key questions to help members decide how to vote.
The questions are – will wild mountain landscapes be safeguarded better by an independent Scotland or by remaining as part of the UK?
Will the amount of land designated wild places increase or decline and how will protection against industrial-scale developments be provided?
How will tourism be protected in the future and will governments be more likely to listen to the concerns of people rather than developers when it comes to planning decisions?
The organisation recently carried out a survey of nearly 1,000 people who claimed tourists were shunning the Highlands in protest at the spiralling number of wind turbines in the area.
David Gibson, MCofS chief officer, said it was clear local businesses were starting to lose out on income from visitors.
“Scotland’s wild lands and mountains are fundamental to its historical, social and cultural identity and yet there has been precious little mention of them in this debate,” he said.
“The biggest reason why visitors come to Scotland are the wild and unspoiled landscapes yet more are destroyed each year – a risk to wildlife, tourism and recreation.
“Successive governments have failed to create proper planning regulations at a national level to stop industrial-scale wind farms being built in sensitive areas of wild land and mountain landscape.
“We need clear answers from the Yes and No camps and a bold, positive vision for our mountains and wild lands.”
A spokesman for Yes Scotland said it would be considering the organisation’s questions closely.
“We can assure it that we’ll be doing all that we can to assert why a yes vote is best for stewarding Scotland’s stunning landscapes and scenery,” he added.
“Our scenery is the jewel in Scotland’s crown and everything must be done to preserve them to ensure the continuation of the high numbers of domestic and international visitors.”