Abstract Currently, protected areas around the world have a demand for volunteer work. At the same time, people in several countries that house protected areas seek out these spaces to serve as volunteers. This process occurs in a scenario strongly influenced by the neoliberal economy, which is marked by cuts in environmental management budgets and increased protected areas visitation. Based on this context, the objective was to analyze the role of volunteer work in protected areas in the context of neoliberal paradigm predominance. For this purpose, it was established a current overview of volunteer activity through a case study in Brazil by collecting information from volunteers and managers, heads or managers of protected areas receptive to volunteer work in interviews using structured questionnaires. It was found that Parques Nacionais are the categories with the greatest demand for volunteer work. It was also found the most part of volunteers is between 20 and 30 years old, and their education level is higher education in undergraduate courses related to biological sciences. It was identified significant differences between the perceptions of managers and volunteers about volunteer work objectives. However, both groups indicated that “Environmental education/environmental interaction and interpretation” and “Support for visitation” are the most frequently performed activities, and the main form of support and trade-off for volunteer work is the offering of certificates. Thus, volunteer work seeks to contribute to the protected areas objectives by supporting the management of these areas during public use activities. However, in the current scenario, this work is palliative in the face of the impacts of the dismantling of environmental policy that affects most countries that have Protected areas and have surrendered to neoliberal conservation.

Resumo Parques Nacionais (PN) são estratégias de proteção da natureza e realização da atividade turística que demandam ferramentas para visitação adequada. Com o avanço do turismo nestas áreas, os PN assumem dupla responsabilidade: manter a qualidade da experiência dos visitantes e contribuir com todo seu potencial para sociedade. Nesse sentido, a ferramenta Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) categoriza as denominadas “Oportunidades de Visitação” em diferentes classes (Prístina, Primitiva, Natural, Rural e Urbana) para identificar atributos específicos para cada ambiente e público, organizando o turismo. Neste cenário, o objetivo foi analisar as oportunidades oferecidas em 10 Parques Nacionais, cinco no Brasil e cinco nos Estados Unidos da América e entender como as diferentes Classes de Oportunidades podem influenciar a visitação turística. Os dados foram obtidos a partir de pesquisa bibliográfica e documental. Identificado os potenciais turísticos de cada PN, aplicou-se a metodologia ROS. Os resultados mostraram que existe relação entre o número de oportunidades oferecidas e o número de visitantes que o Parque Nacional recebe, confirmando o pressuposto que, tanto nos Parques brasileiros quanto estadunidenses, diferentes oportunidades recreativas relaciona-se ao maior número visitantes. Dessa forma, a ferramenta Recreation Opportunity Spectrum apresenta-se como importante ferramenta de gestão da visitação turística. A possibilidade de criar classes de visitação em áreas naturais deve ser amplamente utilizada para garantir o turismo sustentável.

Abstract National Parks (NPs) are instruments for nature protection and tourism that demand tools for proper visitation. With the advance of tourism in these areas, NPs assume a double responsibility: to maintain visitor experience quality and to contribute with all their potential to society. In this sense, the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) tool categorizes “Visitation Opportunities” classes (Pristine, Primitive, Natural, Rural, and Urban) to identify specific attributes of each environment and each visiting public and, thus, organize tourist use. In this scenario, we aimed to analyze the opportunities offered in 10 National Parks, five in Brazil and five in the United States (US), to understand how different Opportunity Classes can influence tourist visitation. The data were drawn from bibliographic and documentary research. After identifying the tourist potential of each NP, we applied the ROS methodology. The results showed a relationship between the number of opportunities offered and the number of visitors received by the National Parks, confirming the assumption that, both in Brazilian and American parks, different recreational opportunities are related to the largest number of visitors. Thus, the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) tool presents itself as an important management tool for tourism visitation. The possibility of creating visitation classes in natural areas must be widely used to guarantee sustainable tourism.

ABSTRACT Protected Areas (PA) represent an important biodiversity conservation strategy, but these areas are threatened by increasing human pressure and inefficient management. Thus, the objective was to analyze the management of PA in South America, a continent with particular characteristics in relation to the political and socioeconomic complexity that reflect the way each country manages its PA. The results showed that, although there is progress in establishing PAs, there is only effective protection when they have adequate size and management, and Protected Area Systems (PAS) are established. It was possible to observe the importance of the PAS, since, PA managed outside it have comprehensive norms, without defined criteria, with several organs operating without connection. For PA management, uniform and standardized actions are fundamental in order to allow a global network for biodiversity protection.