Abstract The International Union for the Conversation of Nature (IUCN) is the lead organization in the selection, establishment and management of protected areas. In order to accomplish its advisory management function, IUCN maintains a worldwide list of protected areas. Each protected area on the list is placed into one of 6 categories based on its management goals. In addition to the identification of biological goals, a protected area’s classification identifies what human activities are allowed in that protected area. The classification scheme thus organizes the lives of people living in and around protected areas and has material consequences for local communities that can be at odds with the principle of self-determination. IUCN is placed in a difficult position in that it promotes both self-determination of local peoples and conservation. It tries to bring these two goals into harmony in its approach to protected area classification. After briefly tracing the evolution of IUCN’s position on people and protected areas, we will describe the classification system, and then turn to an examination of the ways that local peoples are managed. We conclude with a discussion of the difficult task IUCN faces in trying to rectify peoples’ rogjts with conservation needs.