While local residents are recognized as critical to the conservation of protected areas (PAs), most studies are done on a case-by-case basis, with no conceptual underpinnings to facilitate comparisons. The lack of a common framework limits not only our understanding, but also the development of future research areas and approaches to balancing conservation and sustainable development around protected areas. If we are to understand and address fundamental PA–people issues, we need a descriptive framework that enables the understanding of the relationship that people have with PAs and that facilitates comparisons among PAs. I propose a framework for PA–people relationships based on research conducted in Nepal and Myanmar. The framework consists of: (1) people's physical relationship with the PA; (2) their attitude toward the PA, which consists of their liking or disliking the area and the perceptions they have of the PA; and (3) the linkage of the PA–people relationship to the broader social, political, and economic context.