Double points+brainilist answer

land is a valuable, natural resource in south america. how has 40% of the land being covered by tropical rainforests affected the way humans interact with their environment in south america?

Due to the limited availability of land in South America the people of South America were forced to deforest much of the land in order to make more room.  It has also led to limited economic growth until post-World War II since South American nations would take advantage of the tropical climate to grow fruits and other foods that only grew in their region.  Brazil, for example, had a coffee-based economy.  This meant that South American nations were not able to develop economically in the same way that the United States did until much later.