“Moon Recognized as One of 2025’s Most Threatened Locations”

# World Monuments Watch 2025: Highlighting Endangered Cultural Heritage Across the Globe

The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has unveiled its 2025 list of 25 endangered cultural heritage sites, which urgently need protection due to threats ranging from armed conflict to climate change. Since its inception in 1996, the biennial World Monuments Watch has spotlighted 904 endangered sites across 135 countries, fostering awareness, advocacy, and conservation efforts. This year’s list includes notable additions such as Gaza’s cultural heritage, Maine’s historic lighthouses, Baroque sculptures in Portugal, and—for the first time—an extraterrestrial entry, the Moon.

## The Threats to Cultural Heritage

This year’s list identifies diverse challenges facing the world’s cultural monuments, including:

1. **Human Conflict:** Armed conflict continues to devastate cultural heritage, as in Gaza, where relentless bombardments have destroyed iconic mosques, churches, and archaeological sites.
2. **Climate Change:** Rising sea levels, severe storms, and other climate impacts threaten historic sites such as Maine’s coastal lighthouses and Africa’s Swahili Coast.
3. **Urbanization and Tourism:** Rapid development and unregulated tourism place strains on fragile ecosystems, including the Qhapaq Ñan Inca road network spanning South America.
4. **Resource Constraints:** Many heritage sites lack funding, expertise, or local capabilities for effective preservation.
5. **Emerging Challenges:** New threats, such as commercial space exploration, present unprecedented risks to heritage in unexpected domains, such as the Moon.

While the WMF’s list provides a crucial spotlight, it is not exhaustive. Ongoing crises in Sudan and Artsakh—where cultural heritage is actively targeted—demonstrate the vast scale of the problem.

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## Key Case Studies from the 2025 Watch List

### Gaza’s Cultural Devastation

Gaza represents an acute cultural crisis amid Israel’s ongoing military assaults. During the conflict, approximately 60% of Gaza’s heritage sites were destroyed, including the Bronze Age settlement of Tell el-‘Ajjul, the 1,700-year-old Saint Hilarion Monastery, and historic mosques. The destruction has eviscerated centuries of Palestinian history, leaving significant gaps in global cultural understanding. Humanitarian and cultural recovery remains hindered by the blockade and continued violence.

### Alcobaça Monastery’s Baroque Terracotta Sculptures (Portugal)

The 17th-century terracotta sculptures at Portugal’s Alcobaça Monastery face deterioration due to environmental degradation. These masterpieces, created largely by monks, are not only expressions of religious and artistic history but also represent a now-lost artisanal practice. WMF emphasizes that local conservation training could not only save these sculptures but also revive traditional ceramics craftsmanship in the region.

### Maine’s Historic Lighthouses (United States)

The 66 remaining lighthouses along Maine’s rugged coast are maritime icons and vital navigational aids. However, rising sea levels and escalating storm surges threaten their survival. A storm in 2024 alone caused $5.5 million in damages. These lighthouses symbolize both historical ingenuity and the escalating impacts of climate change on cultural landmarks.

### The Qhapaq Ñan: An Ancient Pan-Andean Road System (South America)

Stretching across Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, the Qhapaq Ñan is both a monumental engineering achievement and a cultural treasure. Its roads connected countless communities in the Incan Empire, featuring archaeological sites like ceremonial centers and agricultural innovations. However, modern infrastructure developments and environmental changes jeopardize its preservation.

### An Unprecedented Entry: The Moon

For the first time in Watch history, WMF extended its focus to a site beyond Earth. The Moon makes the list due to potential threats from emerging commercial space exploration. The Moon’s cultural significance spans centuries of human history, from mythology to space exploration. Historic lunar landmarks, such as Tranquility Base (the landing site of Apollo 11), mark human strides into the cosmos. Without proactive preservation strategies, these artifacts may face disruption from tourism or resource extraction.

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## Insights and Broader Implications

WMF President and CEO Bénédicte de Montlaur highlights the critical, and sometimes surprising, importance of the 2025 list. “Safeguarding heritage—on Earth or beyond—requires proactive, cooperative solutions that anticipate emerging threats,” she stated. The inclusion of the Moon serves as a reminder that cultural preservation must evolve alongside technological progress and the widening scope of human activity.

The WMF also emphasizes the role of local communities, urging international collaboration to provide them with resources, training, and solutions to tackle global challenges. Sites such as those along Africa’s Swahili Coast and the Barotse Floodplain in Zambia are examples of heritage largely safeguarded by local populations under immense resource limitations. Empowering these grassroots efforts will be essential in