Upper Paraná River floodplain: synthesizing knowledge over time

Abstract: Aim Considering the great environmental and social impact that floodplains have, several studies have been performed in the upper Paraná River floodplain. In this study, we applied a scientometric analysis to understand the evolution of scientific knowledge generated in the Upper Paraná River floodplain, based on studies published in this area. Methods We searched the literature published from 1995 to 2018 using the indexed database - Thomson ISI Web of Science. The following information was obtained for each scientific article: a) year of publication; b) place of research; c) research institution; d) study approach; e) environments; f) subject matter; g) theoretical approach; h) taxonomic groups. Results We found 435 published articles from different study areas (such as: exact and earth sciences, environmental sciences, social and human sciences, health sciences) that used this floodplain as a study area. The linear regression model showed an increase in the number of articles throughout the years. Studies with ecological themes were most prominent, ensuring research with various theoretical approaches and different biological communities used as proxies. Conclusions With this study, we conclude that long-term research was fundamental in generating data to address ecological issues and describe the dynamics of this plain. Studies such as these must have more political and financial support to develop basic scientific studies that can subsidize data for conservation programs and government policies, in order to maintain ecosystem services such as fishing and the availability of quality water.