Iguaçu National Park

• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation
• Water infrastructure (construction of a hydropower dam)
• Ground transport infrastructure (draft law and pressure to re-open an illegal road)
• Illegal logging and hunting (issue resolved)
• Governance (lack of transboundary cooperation, uncoordinated development)
• Lack of sustainable financing (issue resolved)
• Management systems/ management plan (issues associated with public use and lack of a public use plan)

On 13 January 2023, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/355/documents/ and reports the following:

• The Baixo Iguaçu hydropower plant (HPP) continues in operation. An Environmental Impact Study (EIS) was undertaken for the project, including an evaluation of impacts on the property. The project was authorised following the study, with mitigating measures and ongoing monitoring of the impacts of the dam operation on the property;
• The implementation of monitoring programmes instituted by Baixo Iguaçu HPP has continued, including flow rate, hydro-sedimentological, limnological and water quality, ichthyological programmes;
• According to the monitoring reports, the dam operation is being conducted in accordance with conditions imposed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) and the Environmental Institute of Paraná (IAP);
• The minimum flow rate of 350 m3/s has generally been met since the end of 2018, in line with the regulations, with the exception of a period of severe drought when the lowest outflow recorded to date was observed (287 m³/s);
• The Ichthyofauna Monitoring subprogramme aims to detect changes in ichthyofauna communities; to assess spawning areas and the initial development of fish species, covering the Iguaçu River and tributaries, including data from the Iguaçu surubim (Steindachneridion sp), as well as 21 other endemic species that together represent 40% of the local diversity;
• A number of programmes are underway to promote protection of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), including a Plan for the Conservation of Aquatic Fauna in the Lower Iguaçu River Basin, Natural Resources Protection Programme, and Biodiversity Corridor Consolidation Programme;
• The old Colono Road that used to cut through the property has been closed since 2001 and the forest in this area is in an advanced stage of regeneration. However, two bills are pending in the National Congress that propose to reopen the road;
• The reopening of the road would not be compatible with the national law that protects the Atlantic Forest (Law nº 11.428, of 22 December 2006) and the current Management Plan for the property;
• The Public Use Plan (PUP) was published in 2020 and is included in the license contract for public use of the property. The PUP establishes the strategy to create visitor poles, focusing on improving the visitor experience, expanding the public use areas to other neighbouring municipalities, expanding the inclusion policy, encouraging the incorporation of local production chains and monitoring the impacts of visitation to guide management;
• The National Biodiversity Monitoring Programme (‘Monitora’ Programme), in operation since 2016, continues after an interruption in 2020. There are currently two sampling stations, and monitoring of mammals, birds and frugivorous butterflies has taken place;
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cooperation with the Argentine authorities of Iguazu National Park was suspended. Contact has since been resumed;
• Since 2009, biannual censuses of jaguars have been carried out simultaneously in Brazil and Argentina under the Onças do Iguaçu Project in partnership with Proyecto Yaguareté (Argentina).

On 28 April 2023, the World Heritage Centre transmitted information received regarding tourism development in the property, including a proposal to construct a cable car.

It is regrettable that the operation of the HPP proceeded without the submission of a specific assessment of its impacts on the OUV of the property in spite of the clear recommendations on this by the 2015 Reactive Monitoring mission and Decision 40 COM 7B.70, which requested the State Party to not proceed with the further development of the project prior to the submission of the specific assessment to the World Heritage Centre, for review by IUCN. The information that impacts to the property were considered during the EIS process for the project and that extensive conditions were imposed by the relevant authorities (ICMBio and IAP) is noted, and it is essential these conditions are strictly complied with. The additional monitoring programmes and the assurances that the ichthyological surveys are sufficiently representative of the aquatic species assemblage are also noted.

Notwithstanding these assurances, it is noted that in multiple instances, results presented in the State Party report from the various monitoring programmes are based on data, which was collected several years ago. It essential that the monitoring programmes are continued to inform adaptive management of the HPP with up-to-date information. Moreover, it remains unclear whether the monitoring programmes were developed in cooperation with the State Party of Argentina, as requested by the World Heritage Committee. Noting that collaboration between the States Parties of Argentina and Brazil was reinitiated following the COVID-19 pandemic, the States Parties of Argentina and Brazil should be requested to develop a comprehensive monitoring, assessment and action plan to identify and address potential negative impacts from the Baixo Iguaçu on the OUV of the two contiguous properties of Iguaçu National Park (Brazil) and Iguazu National Park (Argentina), including effective participation of relevant authorities in the respective countries. The results of the monitoring programme should be used to address all negative impacts on the properties by informing action plans for mitigation, adaptive management and the operation of the HPP.

While it is noted that the Colono Road which crosses the property remains closed, it remains of grave concern that two legislative bills (new PL 984/2019 and unarchived PLC 61/2013) are still being considered, which could allow the re-opening of the road as a Park-Highway. It should be recalled that the World Heritage Committee concluded in several Decisions that a situation which could allow the re-opening of the road continues to represent a potential threat to the property’s OUV and create the conditions to re-inscribe the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger, in line with Paragraph 180 of the Operational Guidelines. The State Party should therefore be urged again to ensure the continued closure of Colono Road, including through appropriate legislative mechanisms.

The completion of the PUP is welcomed, and the State Party should be encouraged to implement the strategy outlined in the Plan to ensure the sustainable use and development of tourism in the property. The submission of results from the National Programme for Monitoring Biodiversity (‘Monitora’) programme in the property and the continued implementation of other programmes are welcomed. It is recommended that the Committee encourage the State Party to continue these. The State Party should be urged to collaborate with the State Party of Argentina in developing an action plan for joint patrolling activities and ensure that these activities are undertaken on a regular basis, as well as establish a monitoring programme for key species, in cooperation with the Iguazu National Park for the property and the broader region, as recommended by the 2015 Reactive Monitoring mission, and report on their outcomes.

The reported plans to further develop tourism in the property, specifically the proposal to construct a cable car and further expand other tourism-related infrastructure is of concern. Given the potential impacts of proposed projects on the OUV of the property, it is recommended that the State Party be requested to ensure all the projects are subject to Environmental Impact Assessment, in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context before a final decision is made.