Since the discussion about a tropical timber boycott, several organisations and forums have undertaken to define sustainable forest management. The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) - whose members include both tropical timber producing and purchasing countries - adopted a catalogue of criteria and indicators for sustainable tropical forest management in 1991. In 1994 Target 2000 was agreed, in which member states committed themselves to trading only in sustainably produced timber from the year 2000 onwards.

In Rio at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, 172 states subscribed to the vision of sustainable development. They agreed on the Forest Principles and in Chapter 11 of Agenda 21 they listed measures to protect forests and their ecological, social, economic and cultural functions.

While progress was made forwards a generally accepted definition of sustainable forest management, these discussions did not come up with any implementation strategies. The ITTO member states have not yet developed any mechanism for monitoring their Target 2000 pledge. The post-Rio debates on how to put the proposals for forestry into practice are still ongoing. The regional conferences of ministers dealing with the implementation of the agreements have not as yet proceeded beyond a general definition of sustainability criteria for forestry.