Campaign groups concerned with the future management of Dublin Bay have called for the establishment of a statutory body to protect the coastal attraction.
This was agreed at a weekend conference as part of a new declaration.
The creation of a building height and land-use master plan, greater provision of public amenities and the protection of the Dublin Bay foreshore from Donabate to Greystones, were listed as priority concerns at a meeting of local authorities, community groups and environmental organisations.
Green Party TD Ciarán Cuffe said the declaration recognised a lack of co-ordination between the relevant organisations when Dublin Bay was under increasing pressure to cope with industrial, recreational and wildlife demands.
Concerns of the conference participants included increased port traffic, ongoing construction and development, climate change and the loss of green space. However, an improvement in water quality due to investment in sewerage infrastructure was noted by Birdwatch Ireland as having attracted new wildlife.
A statutory body which would co-ordinate, manage, develop and protect Dublin Bay, was critically important for the future maintenance of the environmental, historical, economic and amenity values of the area, according to Mr Cuffe.
"All of this will be done in conjunction with a coastal zone management plan for the bay that will protect the foreshore . . . but while there has been a lot of talk and implementation of this internationally, Ireland still has a draft plan since 1998, I think.
"It is time we made a final plan and move on. Dublin Bay is getting cleaner. However, no one is in charge of what's happening. The baths are derelict and decisions are being left to developers. We need a vision and a master- plan for the conservation and development of this valuable resource."
Michael Phillips, Dublin City Council city engineer and head of the Dublin Bay Project, said interested groups needed to realise that it was a "working bay" with multiple uses.
There was a need to establish a balance between promoting the bay as a place of interest and protecting its wildlife as well as between its recreational and economic capacity.
Michael Collins of the Sutton to Sandycove Cycle Project group said a proposal for a 22km cycle path and promenade along the coast would be an invaluable amenity for the city.