Nationalizing Nature: Iguazu Falls and National Parks at the Brazil-Argentina Border

Frederico Freitas's 'Nationalizing Nature' reveals that the creation of Iguazu Falls National Parks in Brazil and Argentina during the 1930s was driven by nationalist motives to populate a contested borderland, rather than solely for conservation. This study demonstrates how these parks, later recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, successfully preserved one of the last large tracts of Atlantic Forest against extensive deforestation. Freitas's research, based on extensive archival sources and interviews with key figures, challenges conventional narratives about national park origins by highlighting their role in borderland development and later reorientation toward environmental preservation. The study also notes that depopulation efforts in these parks primarily affected recent immigrants rather than Indigenous communities, offering a nuanced perspective on the cultural construction of wilderness areas.

Johnson, M. P. (2022). Nationalizing Nature: Iguazu Falls and National Parks at the Brazil-Argentina Border. Agricultural History, 96(3), 462–464. https://doi.org/10.1215/00021482-9825380