The Seas off Wexford Special Protection Area is "hugely important" as a foraging and feeding site for birds, the Minister of State at the Department of Heritage has said.
Malcolm Noonan said it is now the largest area in Ireland designated to protect birds, stretching to 3.5 thousand hectares.
"It is hugely significant and a good step forward in meeting its obligations under the (EU) Habitats Directive," he said.
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Noonan said it moves Ireland from 2.3% to 9.4% bringing it closer to the 10% that it has committed to.
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He said this also surpasses the last announcement made on a special protection area in the North West Irish Sea.
Ireland is one of more than 190 countries that have promised to protect or conserve at least 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by the end of this decade.
Mr Noonan said the next stage will be moving to publish the conservation objectives for the site off Wexford.
He said these projects ensure they can protect not just the seabirds but that they can conserve and sustain local communities.
He said developers of any project will still have to go through a "rigorous" process and consider carefully where the best suitable location is for development.
Speaking on the same programme, Marine Biologist and Communications Officer Fair Seas Jack O'Donovan Trá said they are focused on engagement with communities regarding these projects.
Mr O'Donovan Trá said there are various aspects of what can and cannot happen in an area and that is "critical to conservation objectives".
He said they are calling for a new national marine protected legislation which was promised last year and they are hoping to see that enacted early this year.
"That would allow Ireland to have new national legislation and that will allow us to involve communities from a ground level and protect broader eco-systems," he added.
