I met Skye Meaker earlier this year in Davos, the day before his 17th birthday. The lad from KZN was the youngest attendee of the couple thousand participants at the annual meetings of the World Economic Forum. He had been invited as the winner of a global competition for wildlife photography. That event is proving to have been life changing for this young South African. He has used the experience and exposure to share a story of conservation with corporate and, this week, WEF audiences. We caught up during the WEF Africa summit in Cape Town. – Alec Hogg
I’m with Skye Meaker, the youngest person here. Last time we spoke was in Davos. You had won a big competition for your photography on wildlife. You have been asked to do a presentation here at WEF. Is it the same thing?
It’s a lot different. Last time I was invited by the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition to actually speak on behalf of them. This time I’ve been invited as an individual to talk about conservation and African wildlife and to share my story. So it’s different but quite similar in one sense.
So what story are you sharing.
I’m sharing my story of how I grew up with nature and being part of Africa. The World Economic Forum Africa is hosted inside South Africa so having someone that’s grown up in South Africa around nature is quite an amazing experience. So being able to share that story and also share the stories around conservation in Africa specifically and how people can do a lot more for conservation and protecting our wildlife.
Do you use examples.
I actually do use examples. I recently went to take photographs of a rhino de-horning last weekend and that’s quite an amazing experience because not only is it something where it’s very hush, hush in the community but it’s an experience in the sense that it doesn’t happen very often and when it does happen, it’s very quick and very low profile. So not a lot people get to hear about these stories, so being able to share that with the world and how we have to take preventative measures to keep these animals safe has shocked a few people.
Is it working. The de-horning?
I’d say so. From the results of project rhino, there has a been significant decrease in poaching for rhino. But the problem is there is always going to be poaching and therefore we have to find ways ways because it’s very short term. It’s extremely costly because not only do you have to get all of the people on board to protect the rhino because it’s quite a lengthy procedure but it’s also a dangerous one. You have to hire a helicopter to herd the rhino into a workable place and hire a vet with very specific medicine and training, and lots of variables. So when you look at all of this, you realise that there has to be another way of doing this because although it’s working in the short term, rhinos are still being poached, even those with a little stub of a horn left behind. That’s just enough to make the poachers go and have the incentive to kill these animals.The horn continues to grow and so has to get cut down once every three years.
Skye you are now 17. How do you view the world. We come to a place like this at the World Economic Forum where there’s a lot of old people who maybe are not that invested in what the world is going to be like in 30, 40, 50 years time.
As much as it’s doom and gloom, I also see it as a great opportunity for hope and for a prosperous future. For all of the older people that I’ve met so far, although they are looking more to the immediate future there is still conversation being done for the fight for the future with the Young Global Shapers. A great example of a few individuals that are coming together to talk about the future especially in conservation and with global warming being such a prominent issue in our world.
Who are these Shapers?
There are various young people of this forum, even though they like to laugh and joke about me being the baby shaper, they’re pretty much the people between 18-29, and that community helps to look into the far future. There are a few other organisations and people that are in this forum that look into things like education and the big issues that are present for the future.
How do you feel about change given that the world seems to be speeding up?
Well I don’t think it really matters how I feel that things are going to change. I mean the fourth industrial revolution. It’s right on our doorstep. Technology’s evolving at such a rapid pace. I went to a talk yesterday about drone technology and how fast it’s going that the regulations can’t even keep up. So when you are presented with these technological advancements you have to think about how is this going to affect me and how can I adapt to it. You know with me being a wildlife photographer, obviously the equipment I use to take photographs is going to change drastically. But when I talk about conservation, how can we implement these new technologies into helping protect our wildlife and what resources will be sacrificed to make these technologies. Because whenever something gets changed the first thing that ever goes is land. For these things to change and for our increasing population. So how can we still protect our land while allowing technology to keep advancing and the fourth industrial revolution to continue.
How did people react to your story? Do ladies cry?
No, it’s not that emotional. What I like to do is leave people with a bit of positivity about the future. Although there is a lot of doom and gloom, there’s a lot to celebrate, especially in Africa. For example, the white rhino population over the last few years has doubled in certain areas with dehorning and other programmes implemented. There is a lot of good stuff going on, but it is not widely shared because it can endanger the animals. There are changes happening, they are just not fast enough and not enough people are participating in it.
This intimate portrait of a leopard known as Limpy earned Skye Meaker the title of Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Skye was the youngest speaker at #WEF19 yesterday, appearing alongside conservation legend Dr Jane Goodall. https://t.co/H8HxX4FxCH
— Natural History Museum (@NHM_London) January 23, 2019
When we spoke in Davos. You had some very fixed ideas in your mind about what you were going to do in the future. Are you still going to dip out of your passion.
No. I wanted to study something along the lines of chartered accountancy. After completing most of grade 11 I realised that it is not for me. What I really want to do is continue conservation and wildlife photography. I do want to get a degree, and learn from my experiences. I believe learning how to manage your money is important because no matter what you want to do, you need money to do it. There are things I want to do, but things I must do, and one of those is to continue my conservation photography and to learn. In one of the talks I went to about education in the fourth industrial revolution, there was a quote saying that you never stop learning until you die. I think that’s important.
What about your pals at school. They may think differently.
I think they’re more interested in the present life. I often practice my conservation speeches with my South African peers, and the reactions I get from them are a lot more stark than the adults here, particular those in finance, as they are more in the loop with the way the world works because they want to make profits, whereas the youth are just worried about passing matric and getting into university, or getting a job. So when I talk about all of these global warming problems and conservation of wildlife, it raises some eyebrows. You know people don’t really understand what’s going on in the greater world.
Has your life changed. Have windows opened up since Davos this year?
Yes, a lot has happened. I’ve got to do a few talks to big corporate companies around South Africa. I’ve been raising funds for a friend of mine who’s got leukaemia. I’ve learnt a lot and met a lot of people and because of that I’m able to do a lot more with what I want to do with my life. So even talking and being at the World Economic Forum on Africa, I wouldn’t have been given this opportunity if I didn’t get to go to Davos.
So do you think you’ve changed minds to change people’s perceptions when you talk with them.
I’d like to say I do but even if I don’t change minds, I hope I can get people to think. As I said in my talk, I’m not going to try and save the world, I’m only one person, and there is only so much one person can do, but one person can inspire other people to do more and that creates a ripple effect and then we can make a difference.
