"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.

The World Monuments Fund list seeks to raise awareness and funds to help preserve the sites it spotlights. Africa's Swahili Coast, Maine's lighthouses and Buddhist grottoes in China are also in peril.

Join the WMF's 2025 Watch to protect 25 endangered heritage sites worldwide, from the Moon to urban landscapes facing climate change.

The historic water systems in Bhuj, primarily associated with Hamirsar Lake, are among the 25 sites selected global.

That organization is the World Monuments Fund, which today announced the 25 sites on its annual World Monuments Watch. The sites were selected from over 200 nominations that underwent two review cycles before selection by an independent panel of experts. The Moon stands apart from the rest as a cultural heritage site that is not on Earth.

The Moon has been added to the World Monuments Watch (WMW) list of 25 endangered sites for 2025, alongside Gaza’s cultural heritage and terracotta sculptures in a Portuguese monastery.

The World Monuments Fund has been publishing its World Monuments Watch every two years since 1996 to build awareness and concern for endangered places. To-date, it’s funded $120 million towards preserving almost 350 sites around the globe.

The Moon has been added to the list of heritage places under threat by the World Monuments Fund (WMF) – a non-profit that puts out a list every two years of cultural heritage sites it deems under threat due to war and climate change.

According to the statement, "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"

The World Monuments Watch List spotlights locations that are at risk.

The World Monuments Fund has included the moon on its 2025 "Watch" list of cultural heritage locations facing significant threats.

The World Monuments Fund (WMF), which typically focuses on threatened cultural sites on Earth, has included the moon in its latest watchlist, the first since 2022.