This paper examines the legal framework of Protected Areas (PAs) in Nepal - that includes several types and categories of PAs such as national parks, wildlife reserves, conservation areas and buffer zones. Laws concerning PAs are examined against the contexts of international agreements, conventions, and accepted standards as well as the national ground realities. The legal framework is critically analysed through seven key analytical and inter-related variables: the process of declaration, governance types, power sharing, management plan, tenure and local access to resources, equity and sharing of benefits and compliance and enforcement.