The name of the Iguassu National Park refers to the Iguassu River, which in the Guaraní language means “large water”. It has 185,262.5 thousand hectares and houses an enormous biodiversity.
The Park is directed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), a federal organ responsible for managing the Conservation Areas of Brazil. Iguassu is an example of the integration between conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources.
Iguassu National Park was created in 1939 by the Decree N° 1,035. It houses the largest remnant of Atlantic forest (semidecidual stationary) in southern Brazil. The Park protects a rich biodiversity, consisting of representative species of Brazilian fauna and flora, some of which are endangered, like the jaguar (Panthera onca), the puma (Puma concolor), the broad snout caiman (Caimanlatirostris), the purple breasted parrot (Amazona vinacea), the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), the pink peroba (Aspidospermapolyneutron), the ariticum (Rolliniasalicifolia), the araucaria (Araucariaaugustifolia), and many other species of relevance and scientific interest.
The significant biological variability plus the unique landscape with rare scenic beauty of the Iguassu Falls made the Iguassu National Park the first conservation area in Brazil to be established as a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986.
Joined by the Iguassu River to the Iguassu National Park in Argentina, the Park includes important biological continuum from Center and South of South America with more than 600,000 hectares of protected areas and another 400 thousand of still primitive forests. It is a unique responsibility of joint actions between Brazilians and Argentines in an effort to preserve this important heritage.
To appreciate the Iguassu National Park in all its magnitude, visit the Iguassu National Park, Argentina.
For more information visit: www.iguazuargentina.com
If you have any suggestion how we should improve our services, please contact:
ICMBio –Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation
Phone: 55 (45) 3521 8383
E-mail: parnaiguacu@icmbio.gov.br
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