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Scientific collaborations are on the rise. This has generated the emergence of collaboration studies, which encourage symmetrical approaches to collaboration, considering both their inputs and their limits and cost. Transdisciplinary collaborations, i.e. collaborations between researchers and non-academic actors aiming to address “wicked” issues, have followed the same trend and generated the same interest. Researchers and protected areas (PA) managers who collaborate form a community of practice at the interface between science and management. The French Foundation for Research on Biodiversity coordinated a national survey to document their collaborations on which little was known so far. A national meeting gathering actors interested in these collaborations was then organized to discuss the results and work out recommendations. The survey shows that collaborations are complex dynamic processes that can develop in a number of frames and models and are influenced by structural, institutional, and personal factors. Several other aspects need investigating, including the role of other actors in these collaborations, the specific situation of human and social sciences, and that of students. The decision to define “good collaboration” as deemed satisfactory by both researchers and PA managers led to include recommendations about the need for discussions throughout the collaborative process and for individual and institutional reflexivity.