Emergent media narratives on land conflicts in a global biocultural diversity hotspot

Land conflicts (LCs) represent major challenges in regions where limited resources are contested by diverse actors. The triple frontier of the bioculturally diverse Alto Paraná Atlantic Forests (APAF) ecoregion concentrates some of the most intense LCs in South America. These conflicts arise from profound historical inequalities, exacerbated by the accelerating expansion of agroforestry. Effective monitoring and analysis of LCs demand diverse data sources capable of capturing the most recent developments in remote and underreported areas. Yet existing literature is constrained by limited access to timely, localized information, creating a significant knowledge gap that this research addresses through an innovative method. Using a mixed‐methods approach, we collected online news from the APAF and conducted a thematic analysis of the LC media narratives. Results validation was achieved through a survey of local experts. Findings reveal distinct national narrative patterns. In Brazil, media narratives emphasize ‘legal coloniality’ and structural violence against indigenous claims of land. This highlights institutional processes that systematically delay or deny land demarcation. In Argentina, media narratives highlight neo‐extractivist policies that commodify land resources while marginalizing communities, justifying forestry expansion through intensive production models. Paraguayan media narratives focus on patterns of land monopolization, socioeconomic inequality and ‘agrarian authoritarianism’ driven by agribusiness expansion and institutional weaknesses. Overall, national narratives position the APAF as a transnational border zone where government‐community conflicts and neoliberal extractivism intensify demands for social‐environmental justice and territorial autonomy. This study highlights the utility of online news for examining LCs, particularly in biocultural hotspots where official data are lacking. Future research should combine automated data collection and analysis with in‐depth participatory validation methods to deepen understanding of local realities and enhance the inclusivity of land and social‐environmental knowledge into decision‐making processes in biocultural complex regions of the world. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.