Memoria para optar al Título Profesional de Ingeniero Forestal / Las áreas protegidas son un componente esencial en las estrategias de conservación de biodiversidad, sin embargo, su correcto funcionamiento se ha visto amenazado por problemas de gestión, derivados de un mal manejo de los recursos económicos, falta de personal especializado, falta de control en el uso público, entre otras razones. En relación al uso público de las áreas protegidas, para abordar su gestión, se ha demostrado indispensable conocer los tipos de visitantes que frecuentan un área determinada, sus motivaciones y comportamiento. Dependiendo del tipo de visitante se podrán adaptar, en las áreas protegidas, las políticas ambientales para obtener resultados amigables con la conservación, generando acciones en función del grado de movilidad de los visitantes y su interacción con el entorno. En este contexto, esta memoria tiene como objetivo identificar el perfil de los vistantes del Parque Nacional Llanos de Challe, en la región de Atacama. Específicamente se identificaron sus características sociodemográficas, motivaciones y familiaridad con el Parque logrando determinar una tipología de visitantes. Para el logró de los objetivos se realizaron encuestas a los visitantes chilenos presentes en el parque durante enero y febrero del año 2012. Los resultados arrojaron que la mayor parte de los visitantes del Parque provienen de la región de Atacama, es un estrato joven con un nivel educacional alto, situación laboral activa e ingresos mensuales superior al sueldo mínimo. En relación a las motivaciones, comportamiento y familiaridad con el parque, se obtuvieron cuatro tipos de visitantes. De los cuales, la mayoría acude al parque motivado por la playa, para recrearse y descansar y no por un interés en los atributos naturales del Parque. Por otro lado, se obtuvo que un grupo no menor de visitantes asocia el parque con un área de conservación de biodiversidad. Además, existe un número de visitantes que no presenta interés por la naturaleza del Parque ni percibe de forma correcta su función, quienes podrían estar presentando comportamientos ambientales negativos. Para revertir esta situación es necesaria la entrega eficiente de información, entendiendo que la información ambiental como instrumento de sensibilización social hacia los valores ecosistémicos debiese ser objetivo prioritario para la conservación de la naturaleza en áreas protegidas. / Protected areas are an essential component of biodiversity conservation strategies, however, in many cases, its correct functioning has been threatened by management problems, due to poor management of economic resources, lack of specialized personnel, and lack of control in public use, among other reasons. In relation to the public use of protected areas, to approach their management, it has been proved indispensable to know the types of visitors who frequent a particular area, their motivations and behavior. Depending on the type of visitor, environmental policies in protected areas can be adapted to obtain conservation friendly results, generating actions based on the degree of visitor mobility and their interaction with the environment. It is within this context that this study has the object of identify the profile of the visitors of the Llanos de Challe National Park, in the Atacama region. Specifically, sociodemographic characteristics, motivations and familiarity with the park were identified, thus determining a typology of visitors. To achieved these objectives Chilean visitors to the park were surveyed during the months of January and February of 2012. The results obtained showed that the majority of visitors of the park come from the Atacama region, are mainly young people with a high educational level, an active labor status and monthly income higher than the minimum wage. In relation to the motivations, behavior and familiarity with the park, four types of visitors emerged. In general, most visitors come to the park for the beach, looking for recreation and rest instead of experiencing the natural attributes of the park. On the other hand, it was obtained that a high percentage of the visitors associated the park as a natural area of conservation of biodiversity. There are, however, a number of visitors who are not interested in the nature of the park and do not correctly perceive the park's function, which may be contributing to negative environmental behavior. To reverse this situation it becomes necessary to deliver information efficiently; it is imperative to view environmental information as an instrument of social awareness for ecosystem values in order to ensure the conservation of nature in protected areas.

The objectives of this work were to analyze and to compare the visitors of the immediate surroundings of two protected areas in the State of Paraná: the National Park of Superagüi and the Ecological Station “Ilha do Mel”, both islands. There was applied a questionnaire with 37 qualitative and quantitative questions. The questionnaire consisted of five parts: sociodemographic characteristics; trip characteristics; environmental conscience and attitudes; favorite activities and motivation; and perception of the destiny. The data were collected through personal interviews that in the average took from 20 to 30 minutes. 327 questionnaires were applied in Superagüi; in the period of December of 1998 to May of 2000, and 392 on the Ilha do Mel, in the period of April of 2000 to June of 2000. There are significant differences among the visitors of the two islands, this practically in all the researched characteristics. The public of the Ilha do Mel is significantly younger, what influences in several other variables, such as: civil status; education degree; and employment situation. 84% of the visitors of Ilha do Mel heard about it through friends/family, while in Superagüi only 67%. Ilha do Mel, for being a tourist destiny already for a longer time and the easy access, receives a larger number of people with repeated visits. Tourism was trip objective to a larger portion of the visitors of Ilha do Mel; in compensation they were observed significantly more researchers in Superagüi. Visitors’ environmental conscience can be considered high on both islands, but the one of the visitors of Ilha do Mel was inferior to Superagüi. Fewer respondents knew that the place they visited is a protected area. The value of the entrance fee that they are willing to pay was significantly smaller, as well as the disposition to follow the rules in favor of the conservation of nature. The interest in social and environmental subjects was significantly higher among the visitors of Superagüi. They were also willing to pay more for the use of environmental sane techniques than the respondents on Ilha do Mel. The interest in practicing the 25 tourist activities was significantly different between the two places. The comparison of the visitors’ attitude towards to problems showed that a part of the interviewees in Superagüi is much less inconvenienced with problems linked to the infrastructure that reduce the comfort during the stay, confirmed this fact by the smaller importance they give to items of tourist infrastructure. Among the visitors of Superagüi there was an accentuated concern with the improvement of the quality of the host community's life, fact not noticed on Ilha do Mel. In terms of motivation, it was shown that the visitors of Superagüi have larger appreciation to the natural and cultural values and the escape of the stress of the city than the ones of Ilha do Mel. There was also accomplished a benefit segmentation, showing that it is possible to identify distinct segments among the visitors of the same place. In Superagüi they were identified the following clusters: 1) the indifferent ones; 2) the non-sociable adventurers; 3) the sociable adventurers; 4) the enthusiasts; and 5) the non-sociable naturalists. On Ilha do Mel there were identified five different clusters: 1) the sociable adventurers; 2) the pure naturalists; 3) the enthusiasts; 4) the indifferent ones; and 5) the cultural naturalists.