RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Brazil's mining lobby group asked the country's foreign ministry to work with other governments to improve tactics used to combat the illegal gold trade, it said on Friday.
"The trade of illegal gold feeds a criminal alliance in Brazil, which is responsible for part of the devastation we see in the Amazon rainforest, something the world is watching," said Raul Jungmann, president of the Ibram trade association, in a statement.
Ibram represents mining giants such as Vale (VALE3.SA), Rio Tinto (RIO.AX), BHP as well as gold miners such as South Africa's AngloGold Ashanti (ANGJ.J) and Canada's Yamana Gold <YRI.TO.
The lobby group called for the ministry to work with countries that buy illegally mined Brazilian gold, such as Switzerland, to "reduce the space" for illicit operators.
It has pledged to stop deforestation in the Amazon, a vital biome whose health is considered vital in the fight against climate change.