Koalas Face Extinction by 2050 in Parts of Australia, Inquiry Finds

A major government inquiry has found that koalas will become extinct in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) before 2050 unless there is urgent government intervention to prevent habitat loss.
The inquiry’s report, released on Tuesday, also noted that previous government estimates of 36,000 koalas in NSW were outdated and unreliable—partly because they failed to take into account the impact of the 2019/20 bushfires, which affected an estimated 24 percent of koala habitat on public land.
“Given the scale of loss as a result of the fires to many significant local populations, the committee believes the koala will become extinct in New South Wales well before 2050 and that urgent government intervention is required to protect their habitat and address all other threats to their ongoing survival,” the report declared.
Despite habitat loss remaining the biggest threat to koalas’ survival in NSW, logging and deforestation has continued for years. The parliamentary committee—made u
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