The World Monuments Fund, the international non-profit organization dedicated to preserving architectural heritage, has made a surprise announcement this year by including the Moon for the first time in its biennial list of endangered cultural sites.
Traditionally focused on temples, cemeteries and historic neighborhoods, the organization has now decided to look beyond our planet to raise awareness about a new threat to humanity’s heritage.
Bénédicte de Montlaur, president and CEO of the WMF, emphasized that despite the celestial sphere seeming so distant from our daily lives, with the increase in space missions, a plan must be put in place to protect it before it’s too late.
As evidence of growing space activity, on the same day the WMF’s 2025 report was released, a SpaceX rocket was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending two private robotic landers to the Moon. By the end of the decade, NASA plans to bring humans back to our natural satellite through the Artemis missions and establish a permanent base. Other countries are also pursuing similar projects, while the emerging space tourism market and the growing amount of space debris pose further threats.
According to the report, more than 90 sites on the lunar surface, including the historic Tranquility Base of Apollo 11, are at risk of damage. This site, where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first walked in 1969, holds 106 artifacts left by the astronauts, including the descent stage of the lunar module and Armstrong’s boot print.
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The WMF highlighted that such sites represent “extraordinary achievements in science and engineering” and have inspired a sense of collective wonder globally. Protecting them will not be easy: no nation or government owns the Moon. De Montlaur pointed to Antarctica as an example of international collaboration, where specific treaties have allowed the protection of historical sites like Shackleton’s Hut, built in 1908 during the Nimrod expedition.
Currently, 52 countries, including the United States, have signed the Artemis Accords, which promote best practices for space exploration and aim to protect the “shared heritage of outer space.” However, there are no concrete guidelines on how to actually preserve lunar sites.
The moon is not the only site at risk highlighted in the WMF report. Among the 25 selected for 2025, many face imminent threats. In East Africa, heritage sites along the Swahili coast are endangered by rising sea levels and increasingly frequent storms. In Maine, lighthouses over 200 years old are at risk of disappearing due to climate change.
Armed conflicts further exacerbate the situation. In Ukraine, the “Teacher’s House” in Kyiv, a symbol of national independence since 1918, was severely damaged by a Russian missile attack in 2022. In Gaza, the Church of Saint Porphyrius, one of the oldest Christian places of worship, was heavily damaged during the clashes between Israel and Hamas.
The message from the WMF is clear: from the Moon to Earth, humanity’s cultural heritage must be preserved. Every site, from Tranquility Base to African coasts, represents a chapter of our shared history.
