The Moon has taken an unprecedented spot on the World Monuments Fund’s (WMF) list of 25 most threatened heritage sites, highlighting the rising risks posed by increasing lunar exploration and commercialization.
Traditionally, the WMF’s watchlist focuses on vulnerable cultural landmarks on Earth, such as earthquake-ravaged Antakya in Turkey or the pre-Hispanic Andean road system, Qhapaq Ñan.
This marks the first time an extraterrestrial location has been included, signalling the urgent need to protect humanity’s shared space heritage.
Bénédicte de Montlaur, president and CEO of the WMF, cited “mounting risks amidst accelerating lunar activities” as the reason for the Moon’s inclusion.
Planned commercial ventures and government missions, many of which currently lack preservation protocols, pose a significant threat to historical lunar artefacts.
Among these are the iconic footprints of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, left during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, along with other relics like a memorial disk and the camera used to broadcast the moon landing to Earth.
“Safeguarding lunar heritage will prevent damage from accelerating private and governmental activities in space, ensuring these artefacts endure for future generations,” Ms de Montlaur stated after the list was announced. She emphasised the need for international agreements to protect these cultural landmarks in the face of a new space race.
The urgency is fueled by growing activity on the Moon. SpaceX recently launched two lunar landers to prepare for future missions, while NASA’s Artemis III mission, set for 2027, aims to return humans to the Moon for the first time since the 1970s.
Private lunar tourism ventures are expected to follow, raising concerns about looting or accidental destruction of historic sites. To date, only five countries—the United States, China, India, Japan, and the former Soviet Union—have successfully landed spacecraft on the Moon.
The majority of the WMF’s 2024 list consists of terrestrial sites at risk due to conflict, climate change, or unsustainable tourism. They include:
- Gaza’s historic urban fabric, devastated by ongoing conflict, is highlighted as requiring urgent attention;
- The Swahili coast of Africa, including landmarks like Kenya’s Lamu Old Town and Mozambique Island, faces threats from rising sea levels and coastal erosion;
- Overcrowding is feared to jeopardise China’s Buddhist grotto sites, such as Maijishan and Yungang;
- The WMF says the Orthodox monasteries in Albania’s Drino Valley could benefit from more sustainable tourism practices.
The WMF’s panel say its watchlist is a call to action, intended to urge nations to adopt collaborative strategies to preserve sites that encapsulate human history.
From the Moon’s cultural relics to endangered landmarks on Earth, the organisation stresses the need for proactive measures to safeguard humanity’s legacy.
“The inclusion of the Moon underscores the universal need to protect heritage that reflects and safeguards our collective narrative, whether on Earth or beyond,” Ms de Montlaur concluded.
Conservationists say that with space exploration poised to expand in the coming decades, the Moon’s addition to the list serves as a timely reminder that humanity’s past, even beyond Earth, is worth protecting.
