Moon added to list of threatened cultural sites for first time

Ammon News - The moon has been placed on a list of threatened heritage sites, owing to fears of potential looting and destruction caused by planned commercial trips.
The watchlist of the World Monuments Fund (WMF) usually includes vulnerable cultural sites on Earth. This year's selection – the first since 2022 – includes Qhapaq Ñan, a pre-Hispanic Andean road system. Antakya in Turkey and the Noto peninsula in Japan, which were damaged by earthquakes, also made the list.
Bénédicte de Montlaur, the president and chief executive of WMF, said the moon was included among the 25 sites because of 'mounting risks amidst accelerating lunar activities', which were, in the WMF's opinion, 'undertaken without adequate preservation protocols'.
SpaceX launched two lunar landers on Wednesday to conduct research for future missions. Only five countries – the US, China, India, Japan and the former Soviet Union – have successfully landed vehicles on the moon since the 1960s.
Private trips to the lunar surface are expected after Nasa's Artemis III mission, scheduled for mid-2027, makes the first crewed touchdown since the early 1970s. These visits and other government-funded missions are the main cause for concern for the WMF. There is particular anxiety about tourists disturbing sites such as the footprints left by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
'For the first time, the moon is included … to reflect the urgent need to recognise and preserve the artefacts that testify to humanity's first steps beyond Earth – a defining moment in our shared history,' Montlaur said.
'Items such as the camera that captured the televised moon landing; a memorial disk left by astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin; and hundreds of other objects are emblematic of this legacy … the inclusion of the moon underscores the universal need for proactive and cooperative strategies to protect heritage – whether on Earth or beyond – that reflect and safeguard our collective narrative.'
Montlaur told the Art Newspaper that amid a new era of space exploration, it was important to establish international mechanisms to protect the moon's cultural landscape.
'Safeguarding lunar heritage will prevent damage from accelerating private and governmental activities in space, ensuring these artefacts endure for future generations,' she said.
The vast majority of the list is made up of sites that are either in conflict zones, such as Ukraine and Gaza, or at risk from the climate crisis.
The Swahili coast of Africa, which includes sites such as Lamu Old Town, Kenya; Fort Jesus, Kenya is listed, as is the Island of Mozambique, which is under threat from coastal erosion. The WMF has also added 'Gaza's historic urban fabric', which has been devastated by the war with Israel.
There are also sites the organisation thinks could benefit from more sustainable tourism, such as the Orthodox monasteries of Drino Valley in Albania, and it flags that overcrowding at other sites, such as China's Buddhist grotto sites Maijishan and Yungang, is putting them at risk.
The list in 2022 featured prehistoric cave paintings of Monte Alegre state park in the Brazilian Amazon, the Aztec ruins of Teotihuacán in Mexico and the pre-Columbian archaeological site Garcia Pasture in Texas. The Guardian

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Ammon

a day ago

• Ammon

CARC: Jordanian airspace managed according to methodology, 16,000 passengers per day

Ammon News - Chief Commissioner of the Jordanian Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC), Captain Haitham Misto, affirmed that Jordanian airspace is managed according to methodology based on continuous risk assessment and ensuring that operations related to aircraft takeoff, landing, and passage are conducted within international and national standards and guidelines for aviation safety. Captain Musto said that identifying the threat is a fundamental part of the process of dealing with it, and it is important to continue receiving information about activities that could lead to an increase in the level of risk until the threat is fully identified and the necessary tools and mechanisms are used to deal with it, including the temporary or complete closure of the Kingdom's airspace, as appropriate. It's worth noting that the current measures are contributing to the continued openness of the airspace and, consequently, passenger traffic, currently estimated at 16,000 arrivals and departures per day.

Ammon

5 days ago

• Ammon

Bali flights cancelled after Indonesia volcano erupts

Ammon News - Several flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali have been cancelled or delayed after one of country's most active volcanoes erupted. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the island of Flores spewed an ash tower more than 11 km (6.8mi) into the sky at 17:35 local time (10:35 BST) on Tuesday, the country's volcanology agency said. There have not been any reports of casualties. Authorities have raised the highest alert level and advised residents to avoid activities within a 7km radius around the crater. Air India, Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Juneyao Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia were among those that have cancelled flights to and from Bali, located west of Flores. Flight data from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport at noon on Wednesday showed that over 20 flights have been cancelled due to the volcano. Several domestic AirAsia flights leaving for Flores have also been cancelled. The twin-peaked volcano erupted multiple times in November, killing nine people and forcing thousands to flee. Geology agency head Muhammad Wafid warned of potential lahar floods - a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials - if heavy rain occurs.

Ammon

5 days ago

• Ammon

First rescue flight bringing stranded Israelis lands at Ben Gurion

Ammon News - Six days after the start of the Iran-Israel war and the closure of airspace, the first evacuation flight for Israelis stranded abroad landed Wednesday morning. The Hebrew newspaper Ynet reported that the flight from Cyprus landed Wednesday morning at Ben Gurion Airport. More than 100,000 Israelis remain stranded abroad. The Israeli Airports Authority has increased the number of staff at Ben Gurion Airport to evacuate passengers from the airport as quickly as possible. It is worth noting that immediately after the start of the Iran-Israel war, on Thursday night/Friday, Israeli airspace was closed and all flights were canceled.