The Rio forest principles may form the basis of further negotiations toward a binding agreement. The Rio statement says that forests, with their complex ecological processes, are essential to economic development and the maintenance of all forms of life. They are the source of wood, food and medicine, and are rich storehouses of many biological products yet to be discovered. They act as reservoirs for water and for carbon, that would otherwise get into the atmosphere and act as a greenhouse gas. Forests are home to many species of wildlife and, with their peaceful greenery and sense of history, fulfill human cultural and spiritual needs.
Countries have the right to use forests for their social and economic development needs.
Such use should be based on national policies consistent with sustainable development. The sustainable use of forests will require sustainable patterns of production and consumption at a global level. Forests should be managed to meet the social, economic, ecological, cultural and spiritual needs of present and future generations. The profits from biotechnology products and genetic materials taken from forests should be shared, on mutually agreed terms, with countries where the forests are located. Planted forests are environmentally sound sources of renewable energy and industrial raw materials.