Ecologists in Spain called for the venue of an outdoor concert being given by the singer and environmental campaigner Sting to be moved from a protected nature park. "We are asking for the concert venue to be moved to an urban centre," Luis Oviedo, spokesman for Ecologists in Action, told AFP.
The former lead singer of The Police is due to give a concert on July 1 in the Sierra de Gredos national park in central Spain, as part of a "Musicians in Nature" programme organised by regional authorities to promote the area's green spaces.
More than 9,000 tickets have already been sold and the event is expected to attract an audience of 12,000.
"The concept of promoting natural spaces by holding big concerts has nothing to do with the spirit of a national park," said Oviedo.
The Ecologists in Action and other groups including Greenpeace and WWF have asked the authorities to move the concert but been told it is too late to do so, Oviedo said.
Sting is an active campaigner for the environment and co-founder of the charity the Rainforest Foundation.
