Experts have warned that koalas, which are confined to forests in Australia's east and south, could be extinct within decades.

The Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) said the number of koalas is in serious decline because of bushfires, urban development and climate change.

Australia's koala population 'implosion' has prompted researchers to recommend the animal be listed as an endangered species.

The government's threatened species committee rejected a similar application three years ago. The committee, however, decided to take the issue into consideration this year.

AKF said the mainland population of the marsupial has fallen to between 43,000 and 80,000. The group presented its new findings on Monday to the Environment Ministry's Threatened Species Steering Committee, which decides next year whether to list the koala as endangered.

The researchers say the number of koalas has dropped by more than 50 percent in the past six years alone. A similar research in 2003 arrived at a koala population of 100,000.

The koalas, one of Australia's favorite animals, are among the main factors that made the country a natural tourism destination for people around the world.

NAT/MTM/AKM