http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-20739892 The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) has been campaigning for all tracks to require planning permission.
The council said the government was failing to stop tracks being "bulldozed through unspoilt landscapes".
The Scottish government said it would continue to promote good practice and design in the creation of tracks.
The MCofS said tighter planning laws would prevent landowners claiming tracks were for agricultural use, when it said some were used for shooting parties or other recreational purposes.
In reply to Douglas Griffin: When one views the number of apologists for this sort of development by contibutors to this very forum (see the links to the previous threads), it underlines the scale of the challenge.