Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have contributed $4 million to help permanently protect a historic 600-year-old Hawaiian fishpond on the island of Kauaʻi.

The donation helped fund the acquisition and conservation of the Alakoko Fishpond, also known as the Alekoko or Menehune Fishpond, near Līhuʻe. The 102-acre site is the largest remaining traditional fishpond of its kind on Kauaʻi and is regarded as an important part of the island’s cultural and environmental heritage.

The fishpond features a traditional 2,700-foot-long stone wall known as a kuapā. For generations, the site has been connected to Native Hawaiian food production, cultural traditions and the surrounding ecosystem. It is also home to native fish, plants and endangered bird species.

The community had been working to restore and protect Alakoko when the property became available for sale. There were concerns that the historically significant land could eventually be developed. Zuckerberg and Chan’s charitable contribution provided the funding needed for the conservation purchase.

The Trust for Public Land purchased the property on November 17, 2021, and subsequently transferred it to Mālama Hulēʻia, a local nonprofit focused on restoring the fishpond, wetlands and wildlife habitat.

Importantly, Zuckerberg and Chan do not own the fishpond. The deed places restrictions on the property, ensuring that it remains dedicated to conservation, education and community use in perpetuity.

The site is expected to serve as an outdoor learning environment where students and community members can learn about Hawaiian culture, traditional fishpond practices and native ecosystems. Restoration efforts are also aimed at eventually returning the fishpond to productive use for the community.

Chan and Zuckerberg said they were pleased to support efforts to preserve Alakoko and ensure that it remains a place for education, community gatherings, environmental restoration and cultural traditions.

The $4 million contribution was made through the Chan Zuckerberg Kauaʻi Community Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation. Recent reports have highlighted the donation again as part of the couple’s philanthropic activities in Hawaiʻi.