More than £1m of lottery funding will help boost the number of golden eagles in Scotland.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded initial support of £1,150,500 to the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project as well as a £50,900 development grant.

Currently there are only two to four pairs of golden eagles in southern Scotland with limited nesting success, but a report by Scottish Natural Heritage found the area could support 16 pairs.

Work is planned to examine how food supplies could be improved and nest sites made secure, as well as identifying any additional habitat management measures that may be needed.

If necessary, the project will also consider the possibility of bringing eaglets into the area for release to reinforce the existing population.

Chairman of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, Mark Oddy said: "A revived population of golden eagles offers wonderful opportunities for tourism and wider benefits for people and nature in the south of Scotland.

"And of course, it would be thrilling to see more golden eagles in this wonderful part of Scotland."

Supporting the project, Roseanna Cunningham MSP and secretary for the environment said: "The golden eagle is a truly magnificent bird and is one of Scotland's most iconic species.

"This project aims to boost the population of eagles in the south of Scotland and I heartily welcome the Heritage Lottery Fund support to help achieve this.

"We know that the area could potentially support more than a dozen pairs of eagles, which offers tremendous opportunities for wildlife tourism and biodiversity."