The Andes and Pampas suffer from environmental problems, which include deforestation (for logging and creating farmland/cities) major road projects, and air/oil pollution. This stems from their reliance on exports that hurt their economies. These nations are trying to develop their economies with industrialization, diversified economies, and free trade. However, this often results in the degradation of their environment.
(the next part is from a website I found: NOT in my own words)
Deforestation, the destruction of forests, is one of the major environmental problems of this region. The region's tropical rainforests include the Valdivian Forest in Chile. This forest is being destroyed at an alarming rate. In Peru, logging and gold mining are also damaging the tropical forest environment. In their search for gold, mining companies use heavy machinery to remove riverbanks and cut down forests. Projects intended to boost an area's economy often threaten the environment. In Peru, a road project is underway to connect the country's Pacific ports to a highway in Brazil. The highway will benefit the economy because it will increase commerce or trade. But environmentalists argue that it will also attract more logging operations to the area. Meanwhile, car exhaust in urban areas is a growing problem. Cities throughout the region are suffering from air pollution. In Santiago, Chile, smog forms as a steady upper layer of warm air traps cooler air close to the ground. Because of this, the exhaust from 600,000 vehicles cannot escape. These fumes are affecting health: hospitals report an increase in the number of children with breathing problems. Several attempts to reduce air pollution in Santiago have failed. In Ecuador, oil pollution is damaging both rainforests and farmland. Wast from oil drilling seeps into water supplies and rivers. Cancer rates are unusually high in oil-polluted areas. Many suspect that there is a link between pollution and health problems.