Legal teams representing a pair of environmental groups, are taking Parks Canada to court in a bid to stop approval of more than a dozen tent cabins, slated to be developed at Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park.

Officials with Ecojustice, a national charitable organization specializing in environmental issues has filed papers in Federal Court, on behalf of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, and the Jasper Environmental Association.

The legal action comes weeks after Parks Canada partially approved a new development for the popular lake – saying no to a proposal from Maligne Tours to build a 66-room luxury hotel, but accepting the rest of the elements proposed by the company.

Those other elements included 15 proposed tent cabins, and the approval allowed the company to move onto the design stage.

The decision from Parks Canada was made after officials gathered input from the public, stakeholders and Aboriginal groups.

Maligne Lake is the largest and deepest lake inside Jasper National Park; it attracts more than 380,000 visitors annually.

The organization behind the legal action said in a press release that the proposed tent cabins go against the park’s management plans, as they require the release of new land for overnight commercial accommodations.

It’s also feared the development would put wildlife, including the endangered Maligne caribou herd and local grizzly bears at risk. The group said the herd is down to four animals, a female and three males.

In addition, the group said the bears and caribou are sensitive to human use and development, and need undisturbed tracts of land to survive and recover.