World. First list published by the World Monuments Fund (WMF) since 2022, the Watch 2025 has been reflecting the disasters in the past three years. Natural disasters, with the inclusion of the historic sites of the Noto (Japan) and the old town of Antakya (Turkey), two regions devastated by violent earthquakes. Human disasters also, with two goods threatened by conflicts present among the list of 25 monuments in danger published by the NGO.
The House of the Ukrainian Revolution, damaged by a Russian missile shot in 2022, thus symbolizes the need to preserve the monuments carrying a symbolic significance during conflicts: the former Parliament of Kyiv embodies the fight of the Ukrainian people for its independence. The conflict that has been tearing the Gaza Strip since October 2023 is not represented by a precise monument, but by the wider title of the “Historical urban fabric”. A deliberately wide designation, to underline the “Generalized distress and devastation, in human lives as in destruction of heritage sites” : In December 2024, 63 % of the Gaza buildings had been damaged by the Israeli army, including 31 % complete destruction. The WMF notes the destruction of certain remarkable buildings (the Great Mosque of Omari, the Mamluk Palace of Qasr Al-Basha) and the persistent danger weighing on others (the monastery of Saint-Hilarion, the Greek church of Saint-Saint Porphyry).
In addition to conflicts, other threats are highlighted by WMF: climate change, urbanization, or surcourism. Among the 200 candidates subject to the NGO, it was able to draw up great trends per continent. African monuments are thus particularly exposed to the effects of climate change (81 % of the sites offered), like the coastal heritage of Swahilis sultanats, shared between the Comoros, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. In South America, tourism activity represents the first challenge posed to heritage goods (78 % of the sites submitted). The prehispanic path network connecting six countries on the continent, the Qhapaq ñan, is thus faced with an increased tourist attendance, which jeopardizes the integrity of the property, but also its cultural meaning for local populations.
The heritage elements threatened by rapid urbanization are particularly present in Asia, and in particular in India, represented by two sites on the list of 2025. The historic hydraulic system of the city of Bhuj is thus presented as one of the victims of urban development , but could also represent a solution to meet the growing water needs of the population. The colonial buildings bordering the Musi river in Hyderabad, are also confronted with the rapid metamorphoses of the metropolis, and must find a new use after years of abandonment.
Facade of the Sainte-Ursule chapel of La Sorbonne University in Paris.
© Celette, 2019.
In Europe, the WMF highlights the difficulties sometimes encountered in setting up restoration operations and opening the heritage to the inhabitants. A French example, and emblematic of these problems, is selected from the list: the chapel of the Sorbonne, closed to the public since 1999. The association announces a partnership with the City of Paris and the Chancellery of the Universities of Paris to finally reopen the Sleeping chapel, and leading the necessary restorations for opening to the public.
The reception of visitors is not yet an issue for the last of the sites selected by the WMF: the Moon. A surprising addition to this list of in danger of heritage, which aims at “Create an awareness of the general public around remarkable historical sites and the meaning of the moon for all cultures in the world. »» It is the places of establishment of the lunar missions which are here targeted, and in particular that ofApollo 11in the heart of “Sea of tranquility”place of the first step of man on the moon. The WMF thus hopes that the next missions heading for our satellite will take into account the preservation of these traces.