Water birds could be poisoned by lead shot used at Commonwealth Games shooting events in Tayside, the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has claimed.
The Scottish Government plans to temporarily lift the ban on lead pellets at Barry Buddon military shooting range to comply with competition standards.
Organisers have suggested laying a permeable membrane to collect discharged shot throughout the July event. The NTS said the proposals do not go far enough, however.
In a response to a consultation on the issue, the organisation raised concerns over the plans for the site of special scientific interest.
A statement said: “Whilst we accept that disturbance to the local birds and other species will be commonplace given it is a military base, we are concerned that the Government has allowed a short-term benefit of a more convenient event venue to potentially have a long-term negative legacy on an environmentally sensitive area.”
“We would urge the Scottish Government in future to ensure that one of the legacies of hosting a major event is that it does not override our environmental protection laws and risk the sanctuary of the habitats in its footprint.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Strict measures are in place to ensure the clay target event at Barry Buddon will not put wildlife within the conservation area at risk.”