On April 19, 2023, environmentalist Prince Hussain Aga Khan ’92 returned to Deerfield to share his experiences working in wildlife conservation. Specifically. Mr. Aga Khan found a passion for photographing marine animals. Some of these works were showcased on posters across campus, including a life-sized whale poster hung up in the Koch Center and various posters of other sea creatures hung in the Greer Cafe and Hess Auditorium Lobby.
Born on April 10, 1974, in Geneva, Switzerland, Mr. Aga Khan is the third of four children to Mawlana Hazar Imam, the current Imam of the Nizari Ismaili branch of Shia Islam, who claims direct lineal descent from Muhammad.
Much of Mr. Aga Khan’s work captures the fragility of nature and urges people to take action against environmental issues such as climate change and ocean pollution. He listed Sardinia, the Philippines, Niger, the Galapagos, Egypt, and Indonesia as notable places where he has seen plastic in the ocean.
Mr. Aga Khan stated, “I now see plastic everywhere … It’s in Sardinia now, one of the beaches I grew up going to every summer…[Sardinia] was my favorite beach with the most octopus I’ve ever seen and the nicest fish.” He adds that, “in 2020 [Sardinia] has gone from this beautiful pristine place with the most different species of fish I’ve ever seen in the Mediterranean to a place full of plastic.”
Mr. Aga Khan worries about the growing plastic pollution he witnesses on his diving trips. “It’s like an absolute tragedy and what’s even worse, I think there’s no reliable alternative to plastic right now. … And also microplastics are a bigger problem than the bigger [plastic material that] you [can] see.”
Mr. Aga Khan said, “Microplastics overwhelm every marine organism and in a study over microplastics 100% of turtles were assessed [to have been affected by microplastics].”
Plastic waste is not the only form of pollution and habitat destruction that Mr. Aga Khan encounters on his diving trips. “I see fish hooks in shark mouths in a lot of places,” he noted. Although it is illegal to fish for sharks in the Bahamas and elsewhere, Mr. Aga Khan described how “one out of five of the sharks I see have a hook in their mouth or a scar from fishing or line trailing them.”
Mr. Aga Khan also illustrated his concern for widespread coral bleaching from French Polynesia to the Bahamas. He remarked, “I’ve seen [coral bleaching] in Maria in Polynesia where if you look at the forests 15 years ago, the coral was unbelievably beautiful and colorful and alive, and now it’s mostly dead and much less colorful.”
Wildlife has fascinated Mr. Aga Khan from a young age. When asked about his journey to becoming a wildlife conservation photographer, Mr. Aga Khan said, “I asked my mom for a fish tank when I was three. She literally gave me one when I was four or five. I watched David Attenborough all the time and I’ve been in love with animals since.”
Mr. Aga Khan added, “Most of what I’ve been into, and most of what I’ve done for photography, diving, and wildlife, has been outside of school. I got interested in [wildlife] when I was five and dived when I was fourteen.”
As a Deerfield student, Mr. Aga Khan met some of his best friends and mentors, whom he would later work with on photographic expeditions. Mr. Aga Khan remarked, “The education here [notably biology] and some teachers were huge influences [that] helped me realize what I wanted to do.”
After Deerfield, Mr. Aga Khan graduated from Williams College with a dual degree in theater and French literature and went on to obtain a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs in 2004. At Columbia, he focused on Economic and Political Development with a regional focus on the Middle East and North Africa.
Mr. Aga Khan’s education allowed him to realize that he did not want to pursue a career in math or biology, but instead wanted to work in conservation and efforts to limit wildlife extinction. Through the camera lens, he captured the beauty of wildlife on frequent trips to the Bahamas, Egypt, and the Brazilian Amazon.
Mr. Aga Khan displayed his first wildlife exhibition at Columbia University in 2004 and focused on rainforests. He began his path on conservation photography to raise awareness about the fragile nature of the environment and the need to protect ecosystems.
Mr. Aga Khan’s passion led him to found and direct Focused on Nature (FON), a non-profit organization raising awareness for species conservation and habitat loss. FON educates the public about environmental issues and donates to wildlife charities around the world.
FON receives funding through direct gifts as well as by selling photography, books, and scarves featuring plants and animals. Mr. Aga Khan has published four books showcasing his photography: Animal Voyage, Diving into Wildlife, Fragile Beauty, and The Living Sea. Through FON, the sales from these books are donated to charitable organizations that are dedicated to shark, cetacean, and sea turtle conservation.
FON’s expert advisors and contacts identify and select wildlife projects to fund. FON donates to organizations such as the Shark Conservation Fund, the Oceana, and Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which protect and raise awareness for sharks, cetaceans, turtles, great apes, and many other animals. Currently, FON has granted over 3.9 million dollars.
COURTESY OF THE POCUMTUCK MR. AGA KHAN’S SENIOR AD FROM HIS FAMILY
In addition, Mr. Aga Khan contributes to the work of the Ismaili Immamat, serving as the Board Chair of the Aga Khan Agency of Habitat, which works with communities to prepare for natural disasters and climate change. The agency operates in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Syria, Pakistan, and India, and hopes to reach other communities in Central Asia and East Africa. Mr. Aga Khan is also a Board Member of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Both agencies belong to the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which works to promote self-reliance within communities. Mr. Aga Khan joined AKDN’s Environment and Climate Committee and remains a member of the Jane Goodall Legacy Foundation Council for Hope, a council that includes individuals from many different fields, including conservation, science, business, government, media, and the arts.
Mr. Aga Khan said that although there are various ways to help environmental issues, many people remain oblivious to these solutions; he hopes to fight against problems such as wildlife and habitat destruction by increasing public awareness. He explained, “I’m trying to fight the problems and educate and … really try and improve the world because paralysis and depression and apathy won’t do anything.”
By spreading awareness about species conservation and pollution, Mr. Aga Khan urges others to take action. He said, “Over the five decades of my own life, I have been heartbroken to see how our oceans have become so clogged up by plastic and other forms of pollution and waste. … Coastal areas I visited as a child are unrecognizable today — the wildlife is suffocating and the coastal economies are stagnating. It is clear to me that we have to act now before it is too late.”
In the wake of Earth Week, whether it’s through his evoking pictures of habitat destruction that inspire students to take action or simply sharing his heartwarming spinner dolphin photography, Mr. Aga Khan’s visit to Deerfield leaves a lasting mark on the community’s awareness of marine conservation.