The World Monuments Fund has announced its biennial list of the most endangered places on Earth — and, this year, one place that's even beyond it. The Watch List is intended to raise awareness — and funds — to help preserve the sites it spotlights.
Some of the choices are not terribly surprising. Climate change threatens Africa's Swahili Coast and 66 historic lighthouses on the coast of Maine. A natural disaster befell the historic city of Antakya in Turkey, which was badly damaged by earthquakes in 2023.
Human conflict makes up another category on the WMF list, and the creamy white modernist building known as Teacher's House in Kyiv, a symbol of Ukrainian independence, falls under this umbrella. After a Russian missile blast shattered its windows, doors and glass dome in 2022, the WMF enlisted the U.S. State Department to help restore the building, with assistance from local government agencies.
"It is one of thousands of Ukrainian cultural sites that have been damaged or destroyed since the war with Russia began in 2022," the WMF notes on its website.
Another war-ravaged place on the list is Gaza. The area has been under intense siege by Israel's military since Oct. 7, 2023 — the day Hamas conducted an armed incursion into southern Israel.
"As we all know, the Middle East is a cradle of civilization. And in Gaza, you have examples of those various communities and their heritage that have lived there," said WMF president and CEO Bénédicte de Montlaur.
She highlighted an ancient hammam, or bathhouse, built by the Samaritan community. The thousand-year-old building was destroyed by Israeli bombing in 2023. Another example, she said, is the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City.
"It's the oldest active church in Gaza, and it's a Greek Orthodox church that was built in the 1100s," she said.
Hundreds of people were sheltering inside the church when it was partially destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in 2023. More than a dozen of them were killed. The Israel Defense Forces told the Washington Post it was targeting militants, not the church.
"Our hope is that after peace is restored and there is a ceasefire, we will be able to work with all parties to restore this heritage and to provide opportunities to people there," de Montlaur said.
Other places on the list are endangered by overtourism. Ancient Buddhist grottoes nestled in the mountains of Majishan and Yungang, China, have seen a spike in visitors, with 3 million visiting in 2023 compared to 2 million in 2019. The dramatic increase, according to the South China Morning Post, can be partly attributed to the shrines' depictions in a popular video game called Black Myth: Wukong. But one of this year's endangered sites has been visited by only about a dozen people: the moon.
"This is very unprecedented. Very timely, too," said de Montlaur. "Because we are entering into a new era of space exploration, there is renewed interest in the moon. And of course, you have the first footsteps on the moon and they are very, very fragile and need to be protected."
Lunar heritage sites have long been recognized by NASA. More than 90 of them already commemorate places where spacecraft landed, such as Tranquility Base and the Apollo 11 landing site. The agency preserves artifacts such as flags and plaques. But it's unclear how effective international laws might be when it comes to enforcing protections.
"These sites represent humankind's most extraordinary feats of science, ingenuity, and courage," the WMF said in its announcement. "Yet in our new era of space exploration, exploitative visitation, looting, and crash landings could cause irreversible damage to our shared heritage."
China, Russia and India are among the countries now planning ambitious moon missions in a space race that includes billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos in lucrative contracts with the U.S. government.
The 2025 World Monuments Watch list – with an explanation from the WMF — follows in its entirety:
• Monasteries of the Drino Valley, Albania A constellation of Orthodox monasteries, once vital to Albania's social fabric, needs reinvestment after decades of abandonment — but could be a model for sustainable tourism via preservation.
• Cinema Studio Namibe, Angola Fifty years after its construction was abruptly halted, this modernist cinema lies in a state of decay, but a community effort could breathe new life into an unfinished landmark.
• Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru An extraordinary pre-Hispanic road network is facing development pressure and environmental degradation, but local and international advocacy could achieve socially sustainable management.
• Buddhist Grottoes of Maijishan and Yungang, China Two breathtaking collections of rock-cut cave temples are feeling the impact of mass tourism, underscoring the need for innovative visitor management strategies.
• Swahili Coast Heritage Sites, Comoros, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania East Africa's distinctive heritage reflects centuries of African, Arab, and European cultural exchange, but storm surges and coastal erosion are threatening these sites and the communities that keep them alive.
• Chapel of the Sorbonne, France In Paris's Latin Quarter, this jewel of French architecture at the Sorbonne has suffered decades of conservation issues that must be addressed before it can reopen after years of closure.
• Serifos Historic Mining Landscape, Greece The rising Cycladic beach destination of Serifos possesses an irreplaceable record of Greece's industrial past, but comprehensive protections and conservation are needed to prevent imminent loss.
• Bhuj Historic Water Systems, India Ingenious rainwater collection systems have fallen out of use in favor of modern infrastructure — but as India's water crisis deepens, revitalizing this heritage technology could foster resource security.
• Musi River Historic Buildings, India Hyderabad's Musi River corridor, rich in history, faces mounting challenges from pollution — but as the city pursues its revitalization, heritage can provide a sense of continuity and other community benefits.
• Noto Peninsula Heritage Sites, Japan After a devastating earthquake in January 2024, restoring historic buildings in this hard-hit region can spur cultural, social, and economic recovery.
• Erdene Zuu Buddhist Monastery, Mongolia Addressing climate impacts at one of the few Buddhist sites to survive Mongolia's decades of anti-religious crackdowns can help train the country's future heritage experts.
• Jewish Heritage of Debdou, Morocco In Morocco's Atlas Mountains, documentation and advocacy are crucial for the survival of historic Jewish sites, which testify to an inspiring tradition of multi-faith respect and coexistence.
• Chief Ogiamien's House, Nigeria This millennium-old earthen structure faces an uncertain future as critical maintenance skills are lost, highlighting the need to preserve local building traditions.
• Gaza Historic Urban Fabric, Palestine Unprecedented destruction of heritage sites has severed vital connections between the people of Gaza and its urban fabric.
• Waru Waru Agricultural Fields, Peru An ancestral agricultural system offers a pathway to resilience and food security in the Lake Titicaca floodplains as local communities face climate change-induced droughts and migration.
• Terracotta Sculptures of Alcobaça Monastery, Portugal As environmental changes damage traditional terracotta sculptures, training local artisans to conserve these baroque masterpieces can help revive a local ceramics tradition.
• Ruins of Old Belchite, Spain Conservation of a historic village left in ruins by the Spanish Civil War and neglected in the decades since can ensure that its remains endure as a site of memory and reconciliation.
• Water Reservoirs of the Tunis Medina, Tunisia Preserving traditional Tunisian water infrastructure, much of which has been forgotten or destroyed in favor of modern piping, can help the country weather increasingly severe droughts.
• Historic City of Antakya, Türkiye Preservation efforts in the ancient city of Antakya are desperately needed to address devastation from 2023 earthquakes and support the return of displaced residents.
• Kyiv Teacher's House, Ukraine The former legislative seat of a newly independent Ukraine, this national icon was severely damaged by a missile blast in 2022, highlighting war's impact on heritage and the power of preservation to catalyze healing.
• Belfast Assembly Rooms, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom Local advocates aim to repair and repurpose one of Belfast's oldest civic buildings, transforming it into a museum encouraging reflection on Northern Ireland's Troubles.
• The Great Trading Path, United States Preserving a historic trail can strengthen Indigenous links to ancestral lands, even as underrecognition of its significance and a need for more meaningful participation in decision making leaves the site vulnerable.
• Historic Lighthouses of Maine, United States Facing rapidly intensifying coastal climate threats, Maine's historic lighthouses can catalyze development of coastal adaptation strategies.
• Barotse Floodplain Cultural Landscape, Zambia Western Zambia is home to a remarkable landscape whose inhabitants have built their culture around seasonal river flooding, but erosion, droughts, and other climate effects are threatening these living traditions.
• The Moon As a new era of space exploration dawns, international collaboration is required to protect the physical remnants of early Moon landings and preserve these enduring symbols of collective human achievement.
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