A CSIRO-led study has concluded that up to 45 native species in Western Australia's Kimberley region will die out within 20 years if no action is taken.

The study, commissioned by the Wilderness Society,  has called for an immediate cash injection of $95 million to save animals like the golden bandicoot, the scaly-tailed possum and the Monjon rock wallaby from extinction.


Currently, $20 million a year is spent on conservation in the Kimberley, but the report said even if that money was spent effectively, the region would still lose some 31 native animals and the numbers of many more species would dwindle.


Containing feral cats was identified as the most cost-effective measure to prevent species decline, although it warned that the "feasibility of success" was low.


Other necessary measures included effective management of fire and foreign herbivores.

Professor Hugh Possingham, one of the study’s six authors, said the report was “like a business plan for nature,"


"Our analysis shows the best bang for the buck and identifies not just the best things to do but what we can't afford not to do."


About $40 million would be needed annually in the Kimberley to protect its species, as well as boost plant life, help the climate and conserve indigenous land.


The Priority Threat Management to Protect Kimberley Wildlife recommended following up with further social, economic and cultural perspectives to produce a more comprehensive action plan.