Anselmo Castaņeda	Amigos de El Pilar Bullet Tree Falls, Cayo BePukte Road to Bullet Tree Camino a Bullet Tree

Anselmo Castaņeda is a Central American born in Belize with a strong commitment to the future of the region. Recognizing early on that population and subsistence were fundamental, he pursued advanced degrees in agriculture. He graduated from the Escuela Agricola Panamericana (El Zamorano) in 1973. He continued his training at the University of Florida at Gainesville (B.Sc.) and at CATIE in Turrialba, Costa Rica, (M.Sc. level).

Gathering in skills and knowledge in region with local and international companies, Anselmo Castaņeda 's knowledge and vision came to be indispensable in promoting new development programs. His wide with experience with trans-nationals, such as United Brands, Castle & Cooke, as well as his work with the local NGOs, has made him a versatile professional
with a network that includes the community, the government, and the research domains. He was a founding staff member of Belize Enterprise for Sustainable Technology (BEST), a leading NGO in Belize dedicated to enterprise development among the rural and urban poor, and continues his longstanding commitments to rural development through his relationships with the local NGO community.

As president of Envic since 1994, Castaņeda has coalesced his interests in sustainability, agriculture , biodiversity, and rural development through participation in an array of projects and programs that promote innovative conservation goals. As is the president of Envic Consultancies, Anselmo Castaņeda has created a small privately owned consulting firm. This firm specialized in natural resource management, community development, large scale agriculture, organic farming, small enterprise development, environmental impact assessment and sustainable project design and evaluation.

A prominent aspect of Castaņeda current efforts have focused on the community component of the El Pilar Program and the promotion of this program as a conservation model for the region. His focus at El Pilar has incorporated the links between the community based organization of Amigos de El Pilar (AdEP), NGOs, government, and international aspects impacting the program. He has acted as a liaison officer between the BRASS/El Pilar Program and the government agencies in Belize as well as international organizations. Castaņeda has been involved with AdEP in delivering technical assistance in community development and enterprise development since 1996. Today, Castaņeda's work is focused in Central America, with significant experience in Belize, Guatemala and Honduras.

Address: 76 Orange Street, P.O.Box 179, Belmopan, Belize
Email: envicp@btl.net