Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. recently signed a covenant with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to protect, conserve, and restore the Southern Negros Marine Key Biodiversity Area.

Through the signing, all concerned parties must commit to sustainable development and recognize the necessity of marine resources conservation.

The signatories also agreed to adopt an “ecosystem approach to fisheries management framework,” which promotes the conservation, protection, and restoration of Visayan Sea marine biodiversity.

Among those present for the signing at the Governor’s Office included BFAR-United States Agency for International Development Fish Right Program Principal Investigator Ben Malayang III; Roberto Montelibano and Frank Carbon of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Negros Occidental provincial agriculturist, Atty. Japhet Masculino.