A NSW Upper House Committee behind an inquiry into koala populations and habitat has heard evidence in Port Macquarie and toured the koala hospital.
Six people gave evidence during a public hearing at the Glasshouse on Monday, February 3.
Committee chair Cate Faehrmann said the inquiry was looking at the extent of koala numbers across NSW, and working out the threats to koalas, and how the committee could make recommendations to government to ensure the survival of the koala.
"At the moment, I think there's piecemeal approaches to koala conservation in NSW and we know without drastic intervention, they really are in danger of becoming extinct by 2050 - that statistic was before the latest bushfires, by the way," she said.
The Port Macquarie hearing marked the committee's sixth hearing.
The inquiry is looking into the status of koala populations and their habitat and focusing on the impacts and effectiveness of existing policies relating to land management reform, forestry and the environment.
The seven-member committee also toured Port Macquarie Koala Hospital and spoke with koala hospital representatives about the bushfire recovery effort and koala rehabilitation.
The committee will also hear evidence at Coffs Harbour on Tuesday, February 4.
Ms Faehrmann said following the devastation of the summer bushfires, the committee felt it essential to visit locations known for their koala populations.
She said this would be the first opportunity for a NSW parliamentary inquiry to document the impact of the fires on koala populations and hear first-hand from the community about the impact of these fires - not only on koalas but also on their habitat.
Meanwhile, the North Coast Environment Council staged a rally in the Hay Street forecourt.
Susie Russell told the rally that koala numbers had been in decline for decades and posed the question why.
She said the answer - habitat clearing - was pretty clear to all of us here.
Ms Russell encouraged supporters to continue to take action on the issue.
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