Dr Denis Rose

Denis Rose is a Gunditjmara traditional owner from South West Victoria.

He has had a long involvement in natural and cultural heritage management.

He is employed at Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation as a Program Manager.

Mr Rose manages the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape which was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in July 2019.

The development of the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape World Heritage nomination was first proposed in 2002.

The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape in south west Victoria includes evidence of one of the world’s largest and oldest aquaculture systems.

Since World Heritage inscription the importance of on-going management and protection of these World Heritage values has been increasing.

In 1982 Mr Rose commenced as a trainee Ranger with the Victorian National Parks Service in south west Victoria, then moved to the Mallee and then to Gariwerd (Grampians National Park).

Mr Rose was the Aboriginal Liaison Officer for the development of the Brambuk Living Cultural Centre in Halls Gap. In 1990 the Brambuk Living Cultural Centre was awarded the national Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture.

In the mid 1990s, Mr Rose was involved in the establishment of the nationally and internationally recognised Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) program. This program has now voluntarily dedicated more than 67 million ha of Indigenous owned and managed lands throughout Australia as Protected Areas. IPAs are an important element of Australia’s National Reserve System, protecting the nation’s biodiversity for the benefit of all Australians.

In 2002, Mr Rose returned home and was the CEO of the Winda Mara Aboriginal Corporation in Heywood until 2010 and for the past 11 years has worked for the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.