The World Monuments Fund (WMF), an international, non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world, updated its list of threatened cultural sites on 15 January and, for the first time, the Moon made it on the list.
1. The World Monuments Watch
Launched by the WMF in 1996, the World Monuments Watch is a biennial, nomination-based program, to raise awareness, mobilise action and showcase how heritage preservation can address critical global issues. To date, WMF has contributed more than $120 million towards projects at nearly 350 Watch sites, with the visibility provided by the Watch helping communities leverage an additional $300 million from other sources.
“The Watch underscores World Monuments Fund’s commitment to ensuring that heritage preservation not only honours the past but actively contributes to building a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient future for communities around the world and beyond,” explained President and CEO, Bénédicte de Montlaur.
The 2025 open call resulted in over 200 nominations that underwent extensive internal and external review before the final selection by an independent panel of international heritage experts, WMF said, with different issues emerging around the world.
Did you hear? We announced the 25 #heritage sites on our 2025 #WorldMonumentsWatch yesterday!
— World Monuments Fund (@WorldMonuments) January 22, 2025
Learn more about these sites and the #preservation challenges they're facing: https://t.co/9R21k8HtjF pic.twitter.com/CvQheLAJlH
In Sub-Saharan Africa, climate change emerged as a critical issue for sites and communities, while in Asia and the Pacific, rapid urbanisation emerged as a pressing challenge. Nominations from Europe and North America cited insufficient funding and resources, while those from Latin America and the Caribbean reported tourism as a primary concern. For the Middle East and North Africa region, conflict and natural disaster was cited as a critical focus.
2. The Moon
From the 200 nominations, just 25 sites were selected to include in this year’s list. And, for the first time, the Moon has been recognized as a threatened cultural site.
For the first time, the Moon is included on the Watch to reflect the urgent need to recognize and preserve the artifacts that testify to humanity’s first steps beyond Earth—a defining moment in our shared history.
Bénédicte de Montlaur, WMF President and CEO
“Items such as the camera that captured the televised moon landing; a memorial disk left by astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin; and hundreds of other objects are emblematic of this legacy,” said Montlaur. “Yet, they face mounting risks amidst accelerating lunar activities, undertaken without adequate preservation protocols. The inclusion of the Moon underscores the universal need for proactive and cooperative strategies to protect heritage—whether on Earth or beyond—that reflect and safeguard our collective narrative.”
Today, the Moon is home to over 90 historic sites where spacecraft have made contact with the lunar surface—including Tranquility Base, the Apollo 11 landing site that preserves over 100 historic artifacts as well as humanity’s first footprints on the Moon, the WMF explains, adding that these sites represent humankind’s most extraordinary feats of science, ingenuity and courage.
In the face of a new space race which poses risks such as unintentional damage, looting or contamination of the sites, the Fund highlights the importance of preserving “these extraordinary milestones in humanity’s history”. The inclusion of the Moon on the 2025 Watch advocates for international agreements and protections for lunar heritage sites and invites a broader public conversation on what this new Space Age might mean for the Moon’s cultural and natural landscape.
