The devastating bushfires that happened earlier this year and illegal logging activities have killed a large portion of the koala population in Australia.

Now, reports have emerged that koalas in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) could become extinct by 2050.

Save the koalas, please!

According to a report by Reuters, the bushfires that ravaged the country earlier this year had destroyed about a quarter of their habitat across NSW, and in some parts up, to 81 per cent.

Land clearing activities for agriculture, urban development, mining and forestry have also contributed to the decline of the population.

The devastating numbers came from a 311-page, year-long parliamentary inquiry report put together by a multi-party committee.

The only way to stop koalas from going extinct by 2050, the report said, is with government intervention to protect the koalas and their habitat.

“The only way our children’s grandchildren will see a koala in the wild in NSW will be if the government acts upon the committee’s recommendations,” it said.

The committee made 42 recommendations, including an urgent census, prioritising the protection of the animal in the planning of urban development, and increasing conservation funding.