Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne has praised the World Heritage Committee decision overnight to uphold Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage boundaries as a victory for common sense.

"This is a great win for the forests, for wildlife and for Tasmania," Senator Milne said.

"It's been clear for decades that these forests are of world heritage value, the only person unable to see it is Tony Abbott.

A Senate inquiry has called on the Abbott government to withdraw its proposal to reduce the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area by 74,000 hectares, Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne said today.

"The Senate inquiry has also called for Australia to stand by its promise to the World Heritage Committee to assess by June 2015 the Aboriginal cultural values of additions to the Area," Senator Milne said.

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.

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.