Iguaçu National Park: narrative review

Abstract

This study focuses on Iguaçu National Park, with the objective of conducting a narrative review of the scientific literature on the park from the areas of Humanities, Applied Social Sciences and Multidisciplinary fields. The methodology combined narrative review procedures with data extraction and categorization techniques, based on content analysis of abstracts from indexed scientific articles. Four main thematic categories were identified: environmental education, preservation, land use, and tourism. Environmental education and preservation initiatives aim to engage the community and foster environmental awareness, while land use and tourism highlight tensions between conservation, human activities, and local economic development. In summary, the park functions as a space for conservation, tourism, and social mediation, balancing preservation with sustainable economic use. It maintains infrastructure and promotes environmental education, yet faces criticism for historically excluding certain social actors, such as Indigenous peoples and displaced settlers, whose lives were affected during the park’s establishment.