WILL the kangaroo eventually go the way of the koala?

While roos are often described as existing in ''plague proportions'', some ecologists say the national icon is in dangerous decline and should be listed as an endangered species in parts of the state.

Critical decline ... some ecologists are worried about a long-term fall in kangaroo numbers.

The NSW Scientific Committee is examining a submission that challenges the science behind kangaroo census data. The most recent studies for the Office of Environment and Heritage put roo numbers in NSW at a fairly healthy 11 million, based on regular aerial surveys.

The ecologist who wrote the submission, Ray Mjadwesch, spent years comparing kangaroo population data, gathered at a national level for commercial harvesting of the animals, with the situation on the ground.