The Brazilian engineer who fought to protect the sublime Iguaçu Falls in 1876

Countries & Cities · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Long before Iguaçu National Park was officially established, visionary engineer André Rebouças campaigned to preserve the area as a pristine sanctuary for future generations. Inspired by the early success of Yellowstone, his efforts helped secure a legacy of conservation that today protects one of the world's most spectacular natural wonders.

The Iguaçu National Park, located in Brazil's Paraná State, spans over 185,000 hectares and serves as a vital haven for biodiversity. Its history is deeply rooted in the vision of André Rebouças, who in 1876—just four years after Yellowstone became the world's first national park—advocated for the preservation of the magnificent Iguaçu waterfalls. Rebouças sought to protect the site's sublime beauty, ensuring it remained untouched for posterity.

Formally created by federal decree in 1939, the park was later recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. It shares a border with Argentina's Iguazu National Park, with the Iguaçu River acting as the natural boundary between the two nations. The falls themselves are a massive, 2,700-meter-wide semicircle, with water plummeting from a height of 72 meters. Depending on the river's flow, the site features between 150 and 300 individual waterfalls, creating a spray-filled environment that supports lush vegetation and rare species like the giant otter and giant anteater.

Beyond its scenic grandeur, the park is a critical component of the Prata Basin's ecological network. It is part of the Santa Maria Ecological Corridor and is envisioned as a key link in a proposed Trinational Biodiversity Corridor connecting conservation units across Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. While the park covers a vast area, only about 0.3% of its territory is currently open for public visitation, reflecting its primary mission of preserving highly relevant ecosystems for scientific research and environmental education.

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