Obviously every species is different behaviourally, and so by no means an indication of how White-tailed would do, but White-bellied eagle at least seems VERY tolerant of humans. A few years ago had what seemed to be a family (two adults, two juveniles) in central Malacca, hanging out on a large aerial at points. In Feb I also saw them right in Marina Bay near downtown Singapore.
In terms of White-tailed, my impression is that they can become acclimatised to people? Certainly there are populations in densely populated areas (Netherlands) and ones which seem fairly relaxed in their interactions with human settlements (Hokkaido). The undisturbed nesting sites is certainly probably the crux point, as a bird living somewhere isn't the same as nesting somewhere.
As to "couldn't we spend that money on something else", that's always going to be a question with any conservation initiative, but given the difficulty in getting them funded, I'm generally of the opinion that "charismatic megafauna" initiatives, while potentially a money sink if managed badly, is useful in as much as it provides money/protection for habitats for other species in the process, and can function as functionally an ad campaign to raise revenue which can help elsewhere.
Side note: has there ever been any interest in trying to establish urban goshawk populations in the UK using city-adapted birds from elsewhere in Europe? Seems like in many ways a stable population in London would actually be better protected than one in a rural location by default?[/QUOTE]
No, probably because Peregrines are doing so well in Cities.
