Civil society plays an important role in the management of national parks, but there needs to be more literature on the interactions of civil society with government. The participatory management strategy has been criticized for articulating the ideals of failed collaboration in the management of national parks. The implementation of a collaborative management strategy has provided significant opportunities and roles for civil society in the management of the national park, taking into account the social, economic, and cultural conditions and expectations of the local community. The aim of this study is to empirically examine the participation of civil society and challenges in the management of Tesso Nilo National Park in Riau Province. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches through snowball interviews and social network modeling, and conducting a case study analysis, our findings show that the community is still given a secondary role. The involvement of civil society in the collaborative management of Tesso Nilo National Park still needs to be strengthened. However, the institutional formation and the nature of their involvement in supporting and implementing activities still needs to be improved. In some cases, community empowerment has already begun. The main challenges are related to regulations or policies, community capacity, resources and governance relationships, therefore the objectives of collaborative national park management activities have not been achieved.