For the first time, a location beyond Earth has been listed as vulnerable by the World Monuments Fund, an international nonprofit that every two years highlights 25 heritage sites at risk.

Specialists fear planned commercial flights could compromise lunar heritage, including Neil Armstrong’s bootprints.

The organization said that more than 90 important sites on the moon could risk destruction if space tourism is left unregulated.

Every year, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) compiles a list of heritage sites it deems at risk, with the aim of building awareness and mobilizing action. These sites are usually Earth-bound, as you’d expect. But this year, the nonprofit has included on its World Monuments Watch an otherworldly entry: the Moon.

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.

Every two years, the nonprofit World Monuments Fund releases a list of cultural heritage sites it deems most at risk of disappearing because of threats like war or climate change. The line-up of landmarks usually includes historic temples,

While the moon's nomination concentrated on the Apollo 11 landing site, WMF is considering the wider framework needed to protect historic sites connected with space exploration Green Grasshopper via Unsplash The World Monuments Fund’s (WMF) 2025 Watch list includes 25 sites,

Key artefacts include the pristine footprint left by Buzz Aldrin at Tranquility Base, the site of the first moon landing in 1969, and a plaque commemorating 14 American and Soviet astronauts who died on missions before 1971.

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. View on euronew