April 30, 2024
An avid tropical fish hobbyist since the age of five, and a reptile and amphibian enthusiast for nearly as long, Hussain Aga Khan developed a keen interest in conservation at a young age and began scuba diving at 14.
His photography underpins his passion for wildlife and ecosystems, and he uses this medium to inspire people to fall in love with nature and to encourage behavioural change that will have a lasting impact around the conservation of natural resources. Multiple photographic expeditions over three decades have led to the development of extraordinary archives, covering various geographical areas and habitats and many species, both marine and terrestrial.
Through his numerous exhibitions, publications and talks, Hussain has created a global platform to raise awareness around the protection of threatened species and ecosystems. He established his conservation organisation –Focused on Nature– in 2014, to support global conservation, advocacy and research efforts to protect biodiversity and habitats. Focused on Nature supports numerous conservation education initiatives for children and youth and partners with globally renowned organisations around the conservation of endangered species and rainforests.
His exhibitions, The Living Sea and Fragile Beauty have been shown around the world, including at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco (2015, 2016), the National Museum of Natural History and Science, Lisbon (2019), The Natural History Museum, Venice (2022), the Bahrain National Museum (2022), the Glenbow Museum, Calgary (2023), the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto (2023) and the Nairobi National Museum, Kenya (2024). He has also exhibited his photography at international conferences including the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference, Kenya (2018), the EAT Stockholm Food Forum, Sweden (2019), the UN Oceans Conference, Lisbon (2022), the World Forum on Enterprise & the Environment, Oxford (2023), and at the UN Conference of the Parties (COP28), Dubai (2023).
Hussain is committed to conservation education and has made presentations to educational and cultural institutions including SIPA, Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, New York (2004, 2017), the Natural History Museum, London (2022), the Hess Center for the Arts, Deerfield Academy, USA (2023), the Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture & Research, Bahrain (2023), and the Universities of Calgary and Waterloo, Canada (2023). Hussain is a board member of Mission Blue and the Shark Conservation Fund, a member of the Jane Goodall Legacy Foundation’s Council for Hope and the National Geographic Impact Story Lab Advisory Council, an Ambassador for the Natural History Museum, London, and one of Marevivo’s Cavalieri Per Il Mare (Knights for the Sea).
He has published four books, Animal Voyage (2004), Diving into Wildlife (2015), Fragile Beauty (2022), and The Living Sea (2022).