The possibilities and benefits of volunteering within protected areas in Serbia

Abstract

Improving the management of protected areas through the implementation of planned management measures is of key importance for the adequate protection and conservation of protected areas. One of the many opportunities that can be undertaken in this sense is volunteering, which is a basic and key means of active participation of citizens in solving the issues of wider community. Volunteering contributes to the creation of a stable and, for the individual, attractive social community that offers the possibility of action in the field of nature protection and management of protected areas. The aim of this paper is to analyze the results achieved through various volunteering activities within protected areas, as models of good practice, as well as to provide an overview of the possibilities for increasing the capacity of managers in human and material resources in the process of managing protected areas, which includes the process of involving volunteers. The results of various projects show that volunteers can contribute to the management's activities in different ways, and primarily by performing specific tasks for which the managers lack enough capacity. Moreover, volunteering within protected areas achieves a higher level of awareness among individuals, especially young people, about growing problems in the field of nature protection, challenges in managing protected areas, but also about the way each individual can contribute to the conservation of nature for future generations.