LA JOLLA — The oceans of south La Jolla are home to a richly diverse and flourishing ecosystem, but environmental groups fear its populations are declining because of overfishing, climate change and habitat destruction. San Diego Coastkeeper, an environmental group dedicated to protecting regional waters, is working with scientists, elected officials, policy advisors and other stakeholders throughout the state to designate an area in south La Jolla as a marine reserve to help restore the abundance of wildlife in that area. The proposed reserve, however, starts just south of Windansea Beach and presently includes only seven square miles of coastline and ocean territory. Coastkeeper has launched an online petition to increase the reserve by an additional two square miles to most effectively protect and restore the area. “We would ideally like to see a 9-square-mile reserve that extends the full scope of the habitats in order to reap the maximum ecological benefits,” said Kate Hanley, director of Coastkeeper’s Marine Conservation Initiative. The California Fish and Game Commission will make final decisions about which areas to protect later this year. Meanwhile, Hanley is urging the public to sign the petition as a display of solidarity. “It’s important that elected officials and the Department of Fish and Game are aware of the large community support behind this idea,” Hanley said. The marine protected area (MPA) would form part of a large network of reserves along the California coastline as mandated under the 1999 Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), the first state law of its kind. San Diego Coastkeeper has worked with nearly 100 other parties to design the southern California collection of MPAs, which stretch from Point Conception in Santa Barbara to the U.S.-Mexico border. “South La Jolla is a phenomenal area in terms of biological richness and habitat, as well as ecological importance,” Hanley said. “When we’re looking at which areas we would want to be considered for protection, we want to get the biggest bang for our buck in terms of ecology.” The area’s kelp forests, rocky reefs and deep canyons provide food and shelter for a variety of species, she added. The plan for south La Jolla is a modified marine protected area that includes part marine reserve and part state marine conservation area. “The marine reserve means extractions are prohibited,” Hanley said. “In the state marine conservation area, recreational fishing is allowed.” Hanley said that prohibiting “extraction” activities, such as fishing in some areas, was crucial to restoring and maintaining a healthy habitat. “We know south La Jolla is a great habitat and has potential to yield a lot of marine life,” she said. “If you stop extraction activities in select parts, you’ll see ecological benefits like bigger and more plentiful fish, and a spillover effect where more fish will swim outside of the reserve.” Hanley said swimming, surfing, scuba diving, kayaking and other recreational activities would still be permitted, and even encouraged in the reserve area. “We want to stress that we’re not closing down ocean access for recreational activities,” Hanley said. “One of the goals of the MPA is to improve recreational activities in the ocean. I’m a diver, and I’m really looking forward to diving these marine reserves the next few years and see some phenomenally big fish. It will be rewarding to see firsthand what our work helped to protect.” Hanley said similar reserve areas have been implemented across the globe, from New Zealand and Australia to other areas within the U.S. “After five-year studies, the growth is really off the charts,” she said. “There’s a greater abundance of wildlife and more numerous species. It’s like a biological savings account, and the interest is where we see the benefits.” For more information or to sign the petition, visit www.sdcoastkeeper.org.