Australia has lost more mammals to extinction than any other country with a new report urging the federal government to take action on the crisis.

The Australian Conservation Foundation report published in March found since colonisation 29 mammals had become extinct and were lost forever in Australia, compared to just one in the United States.

An Australian Conservation Foundation campaigner says species such as the leadbeater's possum are at risk of extinction if habitats aren't protected. Credit:Joe Armao

"For all its natural beauty, the sad reality is that Australia leads the world on extinction," the report said.

Many of the extinctions have happened recently with Australia losing three vertebrates - a bat, a marsupial and a skink - since 2009, the report says.