Preliminary talks have been held on whether funding for the Sundarbans could be arranged, similar to that of Kaziranga in Assam for the conservation of the largest archipelago in the world, though nothing concrete has emerged from the talks, informed Didier Talpain, consul general of France in Kolkata.

Mr Talpain, while addressing the Bharat Chamber of Commerce on the theme: India-France Partnership for a Better Tomorrow in the Indo-Pacific Region, said that based on his visit to Sunderbans he witnessed severe land erosion, breach of embankments and drastic changes in biodiversity, which required proper attention.

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This, he claimed, reminded him of the efforts put in by the French government in the form of funds for conservation of Kaziranga National Park after a deal between the two governments.

But in this case at Sunderbans, Mr Talpain said no such minutes had been signed but a concern was always there to put in an extra effort to save the Sundarbans, a hub for the Royal Bengal Tiger and make its conservation a worthy one to save the state’s most precious animal.

Asked to comment on whether any effort on behalf of France for a possible investment was being contemplated, the French Consul General in Kolkata however did not say anything affirmative but said talks on various fora had been initiated to veer to the idea of a possible funding