The Moon has been added to a list of threatened heritage sites in an attempt to preserve our lunar heritage. The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has announced 25 new sites added to its watchlist for 2025.
The World Monuments Watch typically includes vulnerable cultural sites on Earth, but this year includes the Earth’s Moon – home to many artifacts from lunar exploration, such as the Apollo 11 landing site.
Bénédicte de Montlaur, the president and chief executive of WMF, said the moon was included among the 25 sites because of “mounting risks amidst accelerating lunar activities”, which were “undertaken without adequate preservation protocols,” the WMF claims.
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Private trips to the Moon are expected after NASA completes its Artemis III mission in mid-2027, where the space agency will land the first crew of astronauts on the lunar surface since the 1970s.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched two private lunar landers on Wednesday to conduct research for future missions. The prospect of recreational space travel has sparked concerns about tourists disturbing historical sites on the Moon.
The Apollo 11 lunar landing site within the Sea of Tranquility is home to the first off-Earth footprints by humans planted there by Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin in 1969.
“For the first time, the moon is included on the Watch to reflect the urgent need to recognise and preserve the artefacts that testify to humanity’s first steps beyond Earth – a defining moment in our shared history,” Montlaur said.
Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission -Credit:AP
“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.
“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.”
Only five countries have landed vehicles successfully on the moon since the 1960s. This includes the US, China, India, Japan and the former Soviet Union.
This year’s WMF Watch includes cultural heritage sites from 29 countries across five continents (and the Moon), including Gaza’s Historic Urban Fabric, Ukraine’s Teacher’s House in Kyiv, Africa’s Swahili Coast, the Old City of Antakya, Türkiye, and Chapel of the Sorbonne, France.