Des has practised in land use management since graduating in 1980. He has considerable practical experience in environmental planning for mine sites and infrastructure in Australia and has also worked in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the USA. He has a reputation for providing practical, workable solutions in the areas of revegetation and soil and water management. He is a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC). His project management experience has included the preparation of EMOS, Plans of Operations, and directing multi-disciplinary environmental studies. He has been involved in large scale consultation projects in relation to mining, rural development and on-going land degradation. As a project manager, his work has included extensive liaison with government departments, local authorities, Aboriginal and public interest groups.