Scottish ministers have been accused of throwing up barriers for the creation of any new national parks.
Campaigners claim there is a “vacuum in forward planning” at the heart of government over the protection of possible park candidates.
The criticism follows comments by environment minister Paul Wheelhouse that there are no plans to create any more national parks.
He said the creation of any new parks would depend on a clear view of what was being proposed, along with local support and a strong business case.
The Scottish Campaign for National Parks (SCNP) and the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS) said the creation of more national parks would protect “outstanding landscapes” and provide a boost to some of the more economically fragile parts of rural Scotland.
Ross Anderson, SCNP chairman, said: ”The minister’s response is hugely disappointing and demonstrates there is a vacuum in forward planning for the future protection and regeneration of many national park candidate areas at Scottish Government level.
“The introduction of new criteria, such as demonstrating the financial sustainability of prospective new national parks, is also disappointing and simply adds to a growing list of barriers being placed in the way of the creation of new national parks.
“If the list of hoops to be jumped through that the Scottish Government has introduced now, before they will consider new national parks, had existed in the early years of the new Scottish Parliament, we would have no national parks at all in Scotland, as both the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs would have failed the tests at the first hurdle.”