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Every two years, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) lists historic sites facing major challenges. This “Watch List” is part of an advocacy initiative to safeguard culturally threatened sites from threats such as climate change, tourism, conflict and natural disasters. The 2025 list includes 25 locations in 29 countries, including two in the United States.
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This year included the iconic Maine lighthouses, which have guided sailors along the state’s rugged coastline for centuries. These structures are threatened by climate change: the Gulf of Maine is warming three times faster than the global average. Rising sea levels and intensifying typhoon waves pose a serious threat to purpose-built lighthouses on low-lying peninsulas and islands. The inclusion of these valuable monuments highlights the most demanding situations facing coastal heritage around the world.
Another U.S. entry is North Carolina’s Great Trading Path, also called the Occaneechi Path. This historic trail was once a vital route for trade, cultural exchange, and connection among Indigenous communities in the Southeastern United States. Today, the path remains a cornerstone of cultural identity for their descendants. However, limited recognition of its historical importance and insufficient inclusion of Indigenous voices in preservation efforts leave the site vulnerable. WMF’s focus on the path underscores the need to preserve historic trails to strengthen ties between communities and their ancestral lands.
Since its inception just 30 years ago, WMF has allocated more than $120 million to protect approximately 350 Watchlist sites. The organization leverages the list to help communities secure another $300 million in external funding. By 2025 Watch, the WMF earned more than two hundred nominations.
Discover the full Watch 2025 sites here.
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