PeopleandtheFalls

Peoplehavelivedinthisareaformorethan10,000years.First,theKaingang.Then,theGuaraní.In1541,SpanishexplorerÁlvarNúñezCabezadeVacawasthefirstEuropeantoseethe falls.


Religiousmissionariesarrivedin1609.But,theSpanishforcedthemtoleavein1767.Itwasn’tuntiltheearly1880sthatWesterninterestsurfaced again.


Followingascientificexpeditiontothearea,thefirsttouristtripwasorganizedin1901.Thefirstnationalpark,IguazúNationalPark,openedin1934.Five yearslater,itssisterparkopenedinBrazil.BothareUNESCOWorldHeritagesites.AndIguazúFallsisoneofthe“NewSevenWondersof Nature.”

InArgentina,peoplespeakSpanish.So,thefallsarecalledtheIguazúFalls.InBrazil,theyspeakPortuguese.So, theycallthemtheIguaçuFalls.

Thissignsays,"IguazúNationalPark,Argentina"in Spanish.

TroubleinParadise

PeoplewanttoprotecttheIguazúregion.Yet,peopleareitsbiggestproblem.Poacherscomeintotheparksillegallytotaketreesandanimals.Peopleaccidentallyinjureorkillanimalswhiledrivingthroughthe parks.


Outsidetheparks,loggingandclearinglandforfarmsaretwoofthebiggestproblems.Whentreesdisappear,plantsandanimalslosetheirhomes.Somespeciesgoextinct.WatersourceslikeIguazúFallsareaffected, too.


Peoplealsobuilthydroelectricdamsinthearea.Thedamshelpsupplyelectricitytothearea.Buttheyalsoaffectthewaterlevelinthe rivers.

TheItaipuDamontheupper ParanáRiverisoneofthelargesthydroelectricprojectsinthe world.

TouriststakeaboattourofIguazú Falls.

Morethan1.5milliontouristsvisitthefallseachyear.Theregiondependsonthetouriststosurvive.Ifthefallsrundryorplantsandanimalsdisappear,peoplemaynolonger come.

WorkingTogether

OnechallengeinpreservingtheIguazúFallsregionisitslocation.Thefallsarenearthebordersofthreecountries.Eachhasitsownideasonhowtomanagetheland.ArgentinaandBrazil,forexample,establishednationalparksinthe1930s.Paraguaynever did.


Thesecountriesdisagreeaboutdams.Yet,theyhavecometogethertocreateaplanonhowtomanagetheland.Thisincludesmorepatrols,speciesmonitoring,education,and research.


Recently,jaguarsbecameasignthattheplanisworking.Intheearly2000s,jaguarshadnearlydisappearedfromthisregion.Thecountriesincreasedpatrols.Theyplantedcameratrapstodeterpoachers.Farmerswhousedtokilljaguarsthatpreyedontheirlivestockstartedplantingcorninstead.Asaresultoftheseactions,thenumberofjaguarshas doubled.

JaguarsaremakingacomebackintheIguazú region.

People’seffortstomaketheparksbetterareworking.ThebeautifulfallsandotherIguazúsplendorsareworthseeing.Andtheyareworthfighting for.

Thisviewfromabove showspartofthespectacular falls.