{"id":474507,"date":"2026-02-12T06:26:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T06:26:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/474507\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T06:26:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T06:26:21","slug":"world-monuments-fund-backs-21-locally-led-heritage-projects-addressing-climate-risks-and-indigenous-knowledge-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/474507\/","title":{"rendered":"World Monuments Fund Backs 21 Locally Led Heritage Projects Addressing Climate Risks and Indigenous Knowledge Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"World<\/a>Cinema Studio Namibe in Angola. Image \u00a9 Walter Fernandes \/ Goethe Institut<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/www.archdaily.com\/1038690\/world-monuments-fund-backs-21-locally-led-heritage-projects-addressing-climate-risks-and-indigenous-knowledge-loss<\/p>\n

World Monuments Fund <\/a>(WMF) is an independent organization dedicated to safeguarding treasured places around the world that enrich lives and foster mutual understanding across cultures and communities. On February 10, WMF announced a $7 million commitment to support 21 heritage preservation projects launching in 2026. These investments advance work at sites included on the 2025 World Monuments Watch, WMF’s nomination-based advocacy program<\/a>, while also supporting new phases of conservation<\/a>, planning, and training at additional heritage sites across five continents. The selected sites reflect a wide chronological and geographic range, from ancient cultural landscapes to modern architectural landmarks. The projects highlight the diversity of global heritage, spanning Mughal gardens and Ottoman religious complexes to modernist cinemas, industrial mining landscapes, Indigenous cultural routes, and sacred shrines, and point to the long-term cultural knowledge embedded in its preservation.<\/p>\n

\"World<\/a>\"World<\/a>\"World<\/a>\"World<\/a>\"World+ 69<\/a><\/p>\n

WMF’s 2026 funding supports locally led preservation initiatives addressing urgent challenges, including climate change, natural disasters, unsustainable tourism, structural deterioration, and the loss of Indigenous knowledge. The projects prioritize community-centered solutions, technical innovation, and long-term academic and institutional partnerships. They are organized into three categories: physical conservation<\/a> and intervention; heritage management and community engagement; and training-focused initiatives. Physical conservation projects involve on-the-ground restoration in collaboration with regional experts. Heritage<\/a> management and community engagement initiatives focus on conservation planning, cultural mapping, interpretation, and strengthening local capacity for long-term stewardship. Training-focused projects invest in professional development through hands-on learning, mentorship, and applied conservation experience, expanding access to preservation careers.<\/p>\n

“Around the world, communities are confronting profound challenges, from climate-related disasters and environmental change to the long aftermath of conflict and crisis. These new projects reflect the next phase of our work, translating visibility into sustained investment and collaboration. By working alongside local partners, we are advancing preservation efforts that support recovery, adaptation, and long-term stewardship of places that matter deeply to the people connected to them.” \u2014 B\u00e9n\u00e9dicte de Montlaur, President and CEO of World Monuments Fund<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Article Rooms as Heritage: How Interior Typologies Carry Cultural Memory<\/a> <\/p>\n

Below is an overview of the 21 selected projects to be funded in 2026, organized by category.<\/p>\n

Physical Conservation and Intervention ProjectsSafdar Jang’s Tomb, New Delhi, India\"WorldSafdar J a ng\u2019s Tomb in India. Current day photographs. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Chapel of the Sorbonne, Paris, France\"WorldChapel of the Sorbonne, Paris, France. Image by Adam Rainoff. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Terracotta Sculptures of Alcoba\u00e7a Monastery, Portugal\"WorldTerracotta Sculptures of Alcoba\u00e7a Monastery in Portugal. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Museum of Antigua and Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda\"WorldMuseum of Antigua and Barbuda in Antigua and Barbuda. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Takiyyat al-Gulshani, Egypt\"WorldTakiyyat al-Gulshani, Egypt. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Noto Peninsula Heritage<\/a> Sites, Japan\"WorldNoto Peninsula Heritage Sites in Japan. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>National Palace of Sintra, Portugal\"WorldNational Palace of Sintra in Portugal. Image \u00a9 Diego Delso via Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>Church of Saint-Eustache, Paris, France\"WorldChurch of Saint-Eustache, Paris, France. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Almada Negreiros Murals, Maritime Station of Alc\u00e2ntara, Lisbon, Portugal\"WorldAlc\u00e2ntara and Rocha do Conde d’\u00d3bidos Maritime Stations in Portugal. Image \u00a9 Sim\u00e3o Pernas<\/a>Jewish Heritage<\/a> of Debdou, Morocco\"WorldJewish Heritage of Debdou in Morocco. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Historic City of Antakya, T\u00fcrkiye\"WorldHistoric City of Antakya in T\u00fcrkiye. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Heritage Management and Community Engagement ProjectsMonasteries of the Drino Valley, Albania\"WorldMonasteries of the Drino Valley, Albania. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Qhapaq \u00d1an, Andean Road System (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru)\"WorldQhapaq \u00d1an, Andean Road System (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru). Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Cinema Studio Namibe, Angola\"WorldCinema Studio Namibe in Angola. Image \u00a9 Walter Fernandes<\/a>Sand Island, Bears Ears National Monument, United States\"WorldSand Island, Bears Ears National Monument, United States. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Serifos Historic Mining Landscape, Greece\"WorldSerifos Historic Mining Landscape, Greece. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Historic Water Systems of Bhuj, India\"WorldHistoric Water Systems of Bhuj in India. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Belfast Assembly Rooms, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom\"WorldBelfast Assembly Rooms in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Rapa Nui National Park, Chile\"WorldRapa Nui National Park in Chile. Image \u00a9 Miguel Cuenca via Pexels<\/a>Training-focused ProjectsBridge to Crafts Careers (B2CC), New Orleans Preservation Training Cohort, United States\"WorldBridge to Crafts Careers (B2CC), New Orleans Preservation Training Cohort, United States. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a>Bodwease Shrine, Asante Traditional Buildings, Ghana\"WorldBodwease Shrine, Asante Traditional Buildings, Ghana. Image via World Monuments Fund<\/a><\/p>\n

In addition to its international initiatives, WMF has launched a national call for nominations for Irreplaceable America, a new program marking the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence. Through this initiative, WMF will partner with 10 heritage sites across the country on preservation projects that reflect the people, events, and ideas that have “shaped the nation.” Nominations are open to a wide range of historic places significant to their communities, with full guidelines available at wmf.org<\/a>. In other heritage conservation<\/a> news, WMF recently announced that the Australia-based architecture firm Architectus is the recipient of the 2026 World Monuments Fund\/Knoll Modernism Prize<\/a> for its conservation of the United Nations’ Historic Africa Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Elsewhere, the City of London Corporation has formally approved the delivery plan for the renewal of the Barbican Centre<\/a>, and MVRDV has received construction approval for the first phase of renovations at Plum Village Buddhist Monastery in France<\/a>.<\/p>\n