The Greens will tomorrow move in the Senate to call on the Minister for the Environment to immediately include the Tarkine on the National Heritage List to ensure that the extraordinary wilderness's heritage values can be considered in the environmental assessment of proposed mines.

"The Tarkine is renowned around the world as a spectacular and important wilderness area, but it has been ‘under consideration' for heritage listing since 2004 with no final decision," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.

The discovery of Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease on a previously healthy devil in the state's North-West means the Federal Environment Minister can no longer delay his decision on heritage listing the Tarkine, Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Christine Milne said today.

"Alarm bells have now moved on to death knells as the transmissible cancer looks to have crossed the Murchison Highway and now stands on the doorstep of the devil's final stronghold in the Tarkine.

The Tarkine Devil Project jointly launched by Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, today will be an important step in saving the Tasmanian devil from extinction, but National Heritage protection for the Tarkine wilderness is needed to compliment it.

"If we are really determined to stop the Tassie devil from going the way of the Tassie tiger, protecting the habitat of the last wild healthy population of devils is a must," Senator Milne said

State Environment Minister, Brian Wightman is misleading Tasmanians when claiming the government must do all it can to protect endangered species, Greens Deputy Leader, Christine Milne said today.

"Tasmanians will be outraged to hear that in the same week Mr Wightman is seeking a meeting with Minister Burke to try to prevent the heritage listing of the Tarkine , he is also announcing two days later that we must do all we can to protect our threatened species.

Tony Burke's National Press Club speech today in which he outlined his intention to consider the heritage listing of many sites throughout Australia was incomplete without mention of the Tarkine region, Greens Deputy Leader, Christine Milne said.

"How can the Environment Minister stand in front of our national broadcaster and say that on one hand we must add a layer of environmental protection that acts well in advance of searching for endangered species, whilst on the other hand denying the Tarkine any immediate protection from the current Tasmanian mining rush"

Both the Government and Coalition must explain why they both today denied an urgently-needed World Heritage assessment of the Tarkine, despite supporting it almost five years ago, says Greens Deputy Leader, Christine Milne.

Labor and Coalition senators today voted down a motion tabled by Senator Milne calling on the government to uphold an undertaking made by the Howard government asking the Australian Heritage Council to review the Tarkine's World Heritage values.

The federal Minister for Environment must explain why a review of the Tarkine's world heritage values was never made despite a pledge to do so almost five years ago, Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Christine Milne said today.

In 2007 a motion by former Democrats Senator, Andrew Bartlett, to recommend the Tarkine be assessed for world heritage values was passed by both major parties.

The Federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke must heritage list the Tarkine before a decision on a referral to mine the area is made on 17 March.

Minister Burke yesterday signed a brief from his department stating that any heritage listing occurring after 17 March will not legally affect any decision made on the Shree Minerals mining proposal.

The Federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke must heed the advice of the Heritage Council and immediately protect the Tarkine from future threats, says Australian Greens Deputy Leader Christine Milne.

"No area in Australia has been assessed, reassessed and then reassessed again as has occurred with the Tarkine heritage assessment with more than six delays since 2004 and a lapsed emergency listing.

"It seems that current and past environment ministers dither and call for more consultation despite being presented with the facts and the community needs to ask ,why?