The World Monuments Fund (WMF), a charity founded in the 1960s, named the Moon among 25 sites on its 2025 watchlist – the first time that it has included a site in outer space, The Art Newspaper reports.

While the designation has no legal status, the non-profit is hoping to spotlight the need for regulation ahead of further space exploration.

Bénédicte de Montlaur, president and chief executive of WMF, said: “As we enter a new era of space exploration, establishing international mechanisms to protect this cultural landscape is crucial.

“Safeguarding lunar heritage will prevent damage from accelerating private and governmental activities in space, ensuring these artefacts endure for future generations.”

The Apollo 11 landing site, with the intact bootprints of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, is “one of over 90 historic landing and impact sites” the charity has identified as potentially at risk.

“Exploitative visitation, souveniring, and looting by future missions and private lunar exploration could eventually compromise this truly unique cultural heritage, removing artifacts and forever erasing iconic prints and tracks from the Moon’s surface,” it says.