Extension in Social Museology and the cultural values of nature in Iguaçu National Park

Abstract

The urgency of the climate crisis and the interdisciplinary approach established among fields of knowledge in pursuit of solutions to this issue promote the association of new areas in environmental conservation projects. Practices do not need to be linear, and new definitions such as the Cultural Value of Nature can contribute to citizens' awareness for environmental preservation and conservation. In this study, we analyze the Social Museology Extension Action, active in the Iguaçu National Park, and its alignment with the conservation of cultural heritage, a strategic objective of ICMBio, as the park's manager, as well as with the definition of the Cultural Value of Nature. The methodology consists of a case study comprising an analysis of reports from the years 2021 and 2022 and the 2023-2024 project of the mentioned action, as well as a guided tour of the action's implementation spaces. It is observed that the action is becoming consolidated. There is a growing number of visitors, participants in the action, researchers involved, partnering agencies, and donations of items to the collection. These elements attest to the contributions of the action in raising awareness and conservation practices of the National Park, achieving ICMBio's objectives of Environmental Education and conservation of its historical and cultural heritage.