The Abbott government's argument that large areas of Tasmania's World Heritage Area are degraded and should be delisted has been blown out of the water by its own Environment Department at a Senate hearing in Canberra today, say the Australian Greens.

"The Environment Department has confirmed that only 4% of the area the government wants to remove from the Tasmanian World Heritage Area had been disturbed," said Greens Leader and Tasmanian Senator Christine Milne, who initiated the inquiry.

Tasmania's forest industry association has again declined to appear before a Senate inquiry into the government's World Heritage delisting proposal, Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne revealed today.

"I have specifically requested that the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania chief Terry Edwards appear before the Senate inquiry, and twice he has said he is too busy," Senator Milne said.

The Australian Greens have today criticised the Napthine Government’s band-aid gesture to protect Victoria’s faunal emblem, the Leadbeater’s possum from extinction.

“Here we have another example of a half-baked plan which will not ensure the possums survival,” said Dr Richard Di Natale, Greens Senator for Victoria.

“The continuing decline of the Leadbeater's possum in the Victorian ash forests is stark proof that logging and wildlife do not mix.

Senator for WA Scott Ludlam has put forest conservation at the centre of the WA by-election campaign, visiting the Challar forest blockade and climbing (with substantial assistance) to a forest protection platform 40 metres up a 400 year-old Karri tree.

Senator Ludlam joined local conservationists who have been defending the Challar Forest since November to protect it from logging. "I think many people will be appalled to realise that we still allow the felling of trees that have stood for twice and three times as long as the city of Perth has existed," Senator Ludlam said.

Senator MILNE (Tasmania-Leader of the Australian Greens) (18:03): I rise today to take note of the honourable Greg Hunt's letter relating to the Gunns pulp mill and, most particularly, the call that the Senate made to commit to maintaining the environmental requirement that excludes wood sourced from native forests from being used as feedstock for any pulp mill.

The Australian Greens Leader, Senator Christine Milne, explains why there will be no global market for the wood sourced from Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage Area following the Abbott government's ideological attack on forests.

The Australian Greens say Tony Abbott's claim that Australia has too much protected forest is wrong and will concern Australians who treasure our precious national parks and forests.

"Families and communities treasure our national parks. Tony Abbott is completely out of touch," Greens Leader Christine Milne said.

"Tony Abbott's anti-environment agenda is also anti-jobs. There is no economic future for Australia in trashing our precious native forests and national parks.

The Greens have established a Senate inquiry into the Abbott government's moves to reduce the size of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area to access forests to log.

The inquiry will report by 15 May 2014 and submissions can be sent directly to the Senate committee: ec.sen@aph.gov.au

These are the terms of reference:

That the following matters be referred to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry and report by 15 May 2014:

The Senate has condemned the Abbott government's reckless attack on World Heritage forests and has called on the UNESCO World Heritage committee to reject the request to de-list 74,000 hectares of Tasmanian wilderness.

"The Senate has sent a clear message to the World Heritage committee that Australians do not support the Abbott government's pro-logging ideology," said Australian Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne.

Federal Labor's announcement today that Tasmanian regional development money will be decoupled from forest conservation shows they can't be trusted on the environment, Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne said today.

"Throughout this process we've said money for the industry or regions should be tied to conservation outcomes so the rug couldn't be pulled out at the last minute," Senator Milne said.

"Today, we see federal Labor's final betrayal in their promise to ensure long-term forest conservation in Tasmania.