The process of developing specially protected natural areas depends not only on natural, cultural, historical and socio-economic factors, but also on the level of interaction between the administration and the indigenous population permanently residing in areas of special importance. Given the growing interest of the state in the issues of determining the position and degree of influence of the local population on the development of the potential of specially protected natural areas, an important aspect is to study the process of co-management within the most promising areas for tourism — national parks. The purpose of the study is to determine the mechanism for building a system of co-management within national parks on the example of Primorsky Krai. The methodological basis of the study is the principles of the anthropological, systematic approach. Methods of comparison, structural-functional analysis and general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, generalization, induction, deduction) were used. The theoretical basis of this study is the current legal acts and publications of authors studying the issues of the position of indigenous peoples in the system of specially protected natural areas. The empirical basis of the study is the practice of the emergence of precedents on the issues of interaction and regulation of activities in the territories where the indigenous small population lives. The object of observation is national parks, and the subject of research is the indigenous peoples living in the territory of national parks and participating in the processes of interaction with the administration of specially protected areas. The scientific novelty lies in the description of the stages of implementation of the co-management strategy, the identification of problematic and promising areas of development for national parks, the development of a scheme for the interaction of participants in the processes of co-management of territories. The study has showed the need to build a system of co-management of national park territories based on the most sustainable practices, taking into account the application of the principle of a mutually beneficial agreement and further structural study of the issue.