For the first time, the moon has been recognized as an endangered cultural site by the World Monuments Fund. The 2025 World Monuments Watch highlights lunar landmarks, including Tranquility Base—where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left artifacts during the Apollo 11 mission. These sites symbolize humanity’s ingenuity and shared history.

The moon faces threats from increased space activity, including lunar missions, growing space tourism, and accumulating space debris. Such factors risk disturbing over 90 historic sites representing pivotal scientific and engineering achievements.

Efforts to safeguard lunar heritage draw inspiration from Antarctica’s conservation model, which relies on international treaties. While 52 nations have signed the Artemis Accords to promote best practices for space exploration, specific guidelines for protecting lunar heritage remain undefined.

The moon’s inclusion is part of a broader list of 25 endangered sites. Climate change endangers Maine’s historic lighthouses and heritage sites along East Africa’s Swahili Coast. Meanwhile, human conflict has devastated landmarks like Kyiv’s “Teacher’s House” in Ukraine and Gaza’s ancient Church of Saint Porphyrius.

The World Monuments Fund emphasizes the urgent need for global collaboration to protect these treasures. As space exploration expands and Earth’s challenges grow, preserving humanity’s heritage—on both land and moon—becomes ever more critical.