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Archaeologists and historians are poised to be pitched into a race against time to record wartime sites before they disappear.

The plan would focus on crumbling defences in the Highlands and Islands and Northern Isles.

Some of the sites are in a losing battle with coastal erosion. Efforts may follow to preserve key structures.

Archaeologist Professor Chris Morris said the proposed record was still in the early stages.

But he said the idea would be to draw on the knowledge of local groups and archaeologists.

The project would also seek the expertise and archives of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland in Edinburgh, the Ministry of Defence and Glasgow's Centre for Battlefield Archaeology.

It could eventually lead to funding being sought for a researcher to be seconded to Inverness-based UHI Millennium Institute.