Caroline Gelderblom

GCBR Advisor

Caroline is an expert in environmental management, conservation, and leading transdisciplinary teams. She has worked with international NGOs, government bodies, research agencies, and the private sector, linking conservation, finance, and sustainable land use. Her approach focuses on managing environmental risks and developing collaborative solutions. She specializes in institutional strengthening, adaptive management (including nature-based solutions), resource mobilization, and fostering local sustainability partnerships.

Now a freelance consultant, Caroline previously worked at WWF South Africa, initially as Water Source Institutional and Financing Frameworks Manager, and later as Manager of Policy, Extension, and Risk. At WWF, she facilitated Water Source Partnerships and helped establish a National Working Group for Cross-Sectoral Extension. She served on the Development Bank for Southern Africa’s climate change screening committee guiding the Global Climate fund’s R4.3 billion Water Reuse Programme and sat on the 30×30 Strategic Water Source Areas Task Team. She also managed alien clearing projects in the Outeniqua and explored water credits for biomass.

Earlier, at the CSIR, Caroline was seconded to the Working for Water Programme’s management team and led the first 6 months of the implementation of the Cape Action for People and the Environment (CAPE) Programme. She contributed to successful funding proposals, including the first phase of the World Heritage status application for the Cape Floristic Region. As an independent consultant, she conducted institutional reviews for for the Working on Fisheries Programme and for the Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative . She led the development of a monitoring and evaluation system for Climate Change in the Western Cape. Caroline was also involved in the Cape Nature Stewardship Working Group, contributing to the business case for biodiversity stewardship. She is a Custodian Member of the Fynbos Forum.

With a long-standing interest in the Little Karoo, Caroline has researched agricultural and tourism-driven changes in the region and is passionate about supporting the positive impact of the Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve.

Caroline Gelderblom