The Conservancy’s Guiding Principles on Indigenous Peoples and Conservation provides a background of how TNC understands indigenous' groups partnerships in order to achieve its mission and embrace one of its core organizational values – Respect for Peoples, Communities and Cultures. The principles, rather than being prescriptive, are intended to serve as guiding framework to orient TNC's action.

These principles are categorized into a) General Principles (indigenous peoples' social, economic and cultural rights); b) Collective Rights (indigenous peoples' collective rights to ensure their continuing existence as distinct collective groups); c) Voluntary Isolation and Mobility Rights (indigenous peoples' rights to live in voluntary isolation and refuse to be contacted to preserve their cultures and mode of living); d) Participation Rights; e) Governance and Self Determination; f) Free, prior and informed consent; g) Discrimination, equality and gender issues; h) Partnerships; i) Lands and territories; j) Traditional Knowledge and intellectual property; k) Protected Areas; l) Natural Resources and Ecosystem Services; m) Social and Economic Development, n) Infrastructure Development and Natural Resources Extractive Projects; and o) International Borders.