KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The Sabah state in eastern Malaysia is considering building a large-scale marine park, an official said Monday.

    The proposed park, named Tun Mustapha Park, will cover an area of 1.1 million hectare in northern Sabah, said Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Chong Kah Kiat, quoted by the Bernama news agency.

    It will help preserve various marine species and ensure a sustainable fish supply for local residence, said Chong in the state capital city of Kota Kinabalu.

    For years, areas covered by the proposed marine park have been threatened with overfishing, worsened by the use of destructive fishing practices such as bombing and use of cyanide, said Chong.

    Chong said the park will protect habitats of rare sea turtles and even the rare dugongs.

    "A park as big as the proposed Tun Mustapha is necessary for maintaining the important ecological linkages between sea grasses, mangrove, forests, coral reefs, dugongs, turtles and fishes," Chong said.

    The state government hopes to work out a management plan for the marine park within this year, added Chong. Enditem