As part of its work to confront criminalization of, and human rights violations against Indigenous Peoples, the Indigenous Peoples Rights International (IPRI) decided to contribute to the ongoing calls for a human rights-based approach to conservation. As a start, we conducted a research study on the issue and commissioned global and country reports covering the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Nepal, and Thailand. Each report is published independently and can be read as stand-alone publication. The study aims to contribute in raising awareness and attention to the issue of criminalization and violations of Indigenous Peoples’ rights in relation to environmental conservation. We hope that it will be useful for Indigenous Peoples and human rights organizations in their advocacy initiatives at the national, regional, and global levels. We also hope the reports will be useful for states and conservation institutions when developing programs and policies that aim to address human rights violations in conservation, including the access to justice and remedy of the victims of criminalization and human rights violations in conservation areas. In order to discuss the impact of conservation activities on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the violence and criminalization they are being subjected to due to conservation actions, this briefing paper will present positive advances at the international level in terms of both the recognition of the rights of Indigenous Peoples and of the importance of their role to achieve the conservation objectives pursued by States and environmental organizations. In spite of this progress, there persist ongoing violations and criminalization affecting Indigenous Peoples in the context of conservation initiatives. These adverse impacts are often related to the rights of Indigenous Peoples to their lands, territories and resources; to their traditional occupations and livelihoods, and to their culture and governance systems. Some examples, described in the country reports supported by IPRI and other sources, were synthesized in the second section of this briefing paper. To respond to this situation, a growing number of environmental and conservation organizations and states including those under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), have adopted some polices and commitments in line with a human rights approach to conservation. The briefing paper will mention some of these steps in a new paradigm of conservation that aligns with human rights law, and some examples that show, as pointed out by the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, that significant challenges remain in ensuring the effective implementation of this new paradigm. Finally, the briefing paper will present some conclusions and recommendations on actions needed to ensure that conservation activities stop being a source of violence and criminalization against Indigenous Peoples.