Zuckerberg and Chan gave $4m to save a 600-year-old fishpond for the community
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan donated $4 million to protect a 600-year-old Hawaiian fishpond from commercial development. The site has been transferred to a community nonprofit to ensure its preservation for cultural and educational purposes.
Why it matters
This highlights the role of private philanthropy in preserving culturally significant historical sites and environmental conservation.
A 600-year-old Hawaiian fishpond that faced the possibility of development is now permanently protected as a community conservation site after a $4 million charitable gift from Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg helped fund its acquisition. Alakoko Fishpond, also known as Alekoko or Menehune Fishpond, covers 102 acres in Niumalu near Līhuʻe on Kauaʻi. It features a 2,700-foot-long kuapā, or fishpond wall, and is the largest remaining fishpond on Kauaʻi. The Trust for Public Land purchased the property on November 17, 2021, and then conveyed it to the community-based nonprofit Mālama Hulē‘ia for community and cultural stewardship.
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