How Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan Helped Save A 600-Year-Old Hawaiian Fishpond With A $4 Million Donation

A 600-year-old Hawaiian fishpond once at risk of development has been permanently protected, thanks in part to a $4 million donation from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan. According to Hawaii News Now, Alakoko Fishpond, also known as Alekoko or Menehune Fishpond, covers 102 acres in Niumalu, near Lihue on the island of Kauai. The historic site is known for its 2,700-foot-long kuapā, or fishpond wall, and is considered the largest remaining fishpond on Kauai.

The site is also an important part of the area's natural ecosystem. It provides a habitat for native fish, limu, or seaweed, and endangered Hawaiian water birds. Located near the Hulēʻia National Wildlife Refuge, the fishpond forms part of a larger wetland environment that supports several native species.

However, the future of the historic site became uncertain in January 2021, when the property was put up for sale. Conservation groups and local residents feared that the land could eventually be developed.

Mālama Hulē‘ia, a community-based nonprofit that had been caring for and restoring the fishpond, had been negotiating a lease when the landowner decided to sell the property instead.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) joined Mālama Hulē‘ia in efforts to permanently protect the site. The groups sought public support and funding for the purchase, while thousands of people backed the conservation campaign. More than 5,500 people signed an online statement calling for the fishpond to be protected, while residents and organisations also submitted written testimony.

The campaign eventually received a major boost from Zuckerberg and Chan.

Through the Chan Zuckerberg Kauaʻi Community Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the couple contributed $4 million towards the acquisition. The donation helped cover the purchase as well as transaction-related costs, allowing the conservation groups to complete the deal.

TPL purchased the 102-acre property on November 17, 2021. It was then transferred to Mālama Hulē‘ia, which continues to oversee the site through community and cultural stewardship.

Interestingly, Zuckerberg and Chan do not own the fishpond. Their donation helped fund its purchase, but ownership was transferred to the community-based nonprofit. The deed also ensures that the land will remain dedicated to conservation, education and community purposes in perpetuity.

The fishpond has deep cultural and historical significance in Hawaii. Believed to be around 600 years old, Alakoko was traditionally used for aquaculture, including the production of fish and limu. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. However, decades of environmental degradation, including the spread of invasive mangroves, had damaged the fishpond. It was named one of Hawaii's most endangered historic places in 2009 because of concerns surrounding its deteriorating condition and development pressures.