Duke’s Maui honors Emily Fielding with 2025 Koho Pono Award

Duke’s Maui has named Emily Fielding as the recipient of its 2025 Koho Pono Award, recognizing her decades of work to protect Maui County’s cultural and natural resources.

The award was presented to Fielding, the Hawaiʻi Marine Conservation director for The Nature Conservancy, during a private ceremony at Duke’s on April 11.

“We are honored to present Emily Fielding with this year’s Koho Pono Award,” said Duke’s Maui general manager Nick Ware. “Her unwavering commitment to the protection of Maui County’s cultural and natural resources ensures that these vital ecosystems will thrive for future generations.”

Since beginning her conservation efforts in 2003, Fielding has played a pivotal role in coral reef preservation and community-driven marine management. Her early work included planning efforts for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve and the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, which combined traditional knowledge with modern scientific methods.

As the Maui marine program director for The Nature Conservancy, Fielding collaborated with local communities across Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi to develop effective models for managing nearshore waters. She was instrumental in establishing the Maui Nui Makai Network, a coalition dedicated to restoring and protecting marine environments through conservation planning, monitoring programs and community engagement initiatives.

Her impact has been recognized nationally, including acknowledgment from the US Coral Reef Task Force for her leadership in conservation planning and community capacity-building. She was named The Nature Conservancy’s Hawaiʻi Marine Conservation director in 2023 and continues to collaborate with governments, nonprofits, academic institutions and community groups to strengthen reef resilience in the face of climate change.

The Koho Pono Award, which means “to do what is right,” is presented annually to a Maui-based individual who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to preserving the islands’ environmental and cultural heritage.