For the first time, the Moon has been added to the World Monuments Fund's 2025 Watch List, recognizing the increasing threat to its cultural heritage sites from space exploration activities. The inclusion emphasizes the need for international agreements and protections for lunar heritage sites.
The Moon has been added to the World Monuments Fund 's 2025 Watch List, recognizing the urgent need to protect the cultural heritage sites on its surface. This marks the first time a site beyond Earth has been included on the list. The Moon's inclusion highlights the growing threat to lunar artifacts from accelerating space exploration activities.
The Fund emphasizes that items such as the camera used to capture the televised moon landing, the memorial disk left by astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin, and hundreds of other objects are crucial testaments to humanity's first steps beyond Earth.Over 90 historic sites on the Moon commemorate spacecraft contact with the lunar surface. Among the most iconic are the footprints left by the Apollo 11 astronauts in 1969. As humankind prepares for a sustained presence on the Moon, with NASA planning a crewed mission by mid-2027 and private companies like SpaceX entering the lunar tourism market, the need to safeguard these historical treasures becomes increasingly vital. The Fund warns that unchecked visitation, souvenir collection, and looting by future missions and private lunar exploration could irreparably damage this unique cultural heritage. The Moon's lack of wind and flowing water has preserved its surface immaculately, but human activities pose a significant risk to this pristine environment. The World Monuments Fund's 2025 Watch List also includes other sites facing threats from various factors, including conflict, natural disasters, climate change, over-tourism, and pollution. This year's list, however, underscores the unique challenges and responsibilities that come with humanity's expanding reach into space
SPACE EXPLORATION CULTURAL HERITAGE LUNAR LANDMARKS WORLD MONUMENTS FUND WATCH LIST
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