The cabinet passed a sub-decree for the creation a more than 100,000-hectare (247,105-acre) reserve for game hunting in Ratanakkiri province, a government statement said.

The establishment of the reserve is for "investment, wildlife conservation and the sustainable development of wildlife hunting in order to serve the economy of the community", the statement said.

The reserve would help eradicate illegal wildlife poaching, it said.

The statement did not say when the park would open or who would operate it, but Madrid-based NSOK Safaris expressed an interest in December 2007.

"First, we have to establish the area and the investment is the next step," Chheang Dany, deputy director of the forestry administration's wildlife protection office, told AFP.

"It could be NSOK or other companies. The government will examine and approve the investment project separately," he said.

Officials have previously said they are considering allowing 30 species to be hunted including wild cattle, pigs, deer and gaurs, but Chheang Dany said the number of species had not yet been finalised.

Government officials hope the project will help diversify Cambodia's tourism offerings beyond the famed Angkor Wat temple complex.

Impoverished Cambodia is trying to persuade tourists to stay longer and see sights other than the World Heritage-listed Angkor temples, tapping into a number of other areas such as eco-tourism.

Tourism is one of the few sources of foreign exchange for the kingdom.

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