Koalas may be extinct in Australia's New South Wales by 2050

FILE PHOTO: WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo curatorial supervisor and zookeeper Renee Howell poses for a picture beside koalas in an enclosure during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Sydney, Australia April 21, 2020. REUTERS/Stefica Nicol Bikes/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Koalas in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) could become extinct by 2050 unless the government immediately intervenes to protect the species and its habitat, the final report of a year-long parliamentary inquiry said on Tuesday.

Land clearing for agriculture, urban development, mining and forestry had been the biggest factor in the fragmentation and loss of habitat for the animals in NSW, the country's most populous state, over several decades.