THE Koala population in the New England region will face likely extinction unless radical measures are taken to stop land clearing for mining and farming, a new environmental report has found.
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The report, written by David Paull, a former ecologist for the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, focused on seven regions of North Western NSW including Tamworth, Inverell, Glen Innes, Armidale and Walcha and has ignited concerns about the rapid decline of the species in recent years.
While Mr Paull said tree planting in areas such as Armidale had assisted in sustaining koala numbers, more on-ground restoration work was needed in land that had been previously cleared.
"Critically only 18 per cent of the koala locations in the study area are in the current reserve system, while 64 per cent are on private land," Mr Paull said.
"We believe no report or data base within Government, either State or Federal, gives such a comprehensive picture of the likely fate of koalas in western NSW which are now facing extinction from continuing land clearing for mining and farming, and intensive logging of native forests," Mr Paull said.
He said the report identifies and maps koala investment zones and private land hotspots, which contain priority habitat and important linkages, to be included within the park.
David Paull's report was dedicated to the memory of Environment and Heritage employee Glen Turner who was shot while investigating land-clearing in Moree in July 2014.
