PRAYAGRAJ, Sept. 25 -- The mapping of the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around the Turtle Wildlife Sanctuary in the Ganga, spanning Prayagraj, Bhadohi and Mirzapur, has been completed, paving the way for a new conservation and management roadmap for the 30-km stretch.

The proposal to demarcate the ESZ with a 500-metre buffer from the riverbank has been recommended for submission to the state government for approval and further action, officials said.

The sanctuary, notified in 2020 to conserve aquatic biodiversity in the Ganga, provides a habitat to several threatened turtle species, including the striped roofed turtle, black-spotted turtle, softshell turtle, red-crowned roofed turtle and brown roofed turtle.

Prayagraj divisional forest off...