WMF Nominations Show Austerity Now Top Threat to Heritage

By Marcus Bennett

86% of nominators to the 2027 World Monuments Watch cited funding shortages and economic development as a primary threat to heritage — up from 80% in the 2025 cycle. The World Monuments Fund (WMF), which has preserved historic architecture since 1965, received 372 public nominations from 84 countries and territories before submissions closed on March 20, 2026.

Every two years the Watch selects 25 sites from nominations made by individuals and community-based organizations worldwide. Ahead of the announcement of the 2027 cohort in February 2027, the WMF has released its analysis of the nomination data. The numbers identify three main causes of endangerment: government austerity, intensifying climate impact, and lack of access to specialized skills.

What does the funding data show?

Within the 86% figure, 65% of nominations named "insufficient funding and resources" as the single most important cause of endangerment. The three main resource problems break down as follows:

• Inadequate public funding: 22% of nominations
• Local economic constraints: 17%
• Rising costs for specialized materials and labor: 10%

The WMF attributes the squeeze to political and economic instability and global cultural transformations, with shrinking public budgets as the leading driver. Yet 63% of nominations identified opportunities to leverage heritage for local economies through sustainable tourism, job creation and urban regeneration. Built heritage, the organization argues, functions as a source of resources and employment rather than a burden.

How severe is the climate threat?

Climate hazards appeared in 66% of nominations and ranked as the primary challenge in 54% — a dramatic rise from 6% in the 2025 selection process. The threat is not abstract. Some 30% of nominated sites have already suffered direct damage from extreme weather, including flooding, storms, drought and wildfires.

The WMF runs two programs aimed at stewards of historic landscapes and coastal heritage. Cultivating Resilience strengthens the capacity of historic gardens and cultural landscapes to adapt to climate impacts. Coastal Connections gathers a global network of coastal heritage sites to share knowledge and practical solutions. Both programs have documented damage from severe storms, disrupted agricultural calendars, and drought-driven erosion that destabilizes ground beneath monuments.

Who will do the work?

For practitioners, the sharpest signal may be the skills gap. 44% of nominators flagged access to specialized skills and expertise as a critical issue, a 10-point increase from the last cycle. Within that group, 35% of nominations noted the lack of local preservation knowledge or available specialists.

The WMF frames this shortage as an opening for training. Its project sites use conservation work to instruct municipal staff, local conservation professionals and university students, passing specialized building skills to local stewards. The organization ties this to global movements to revive traditional crafts — not only to preserve heritage but to produce more resilient and sustainable architecture. Historic sites, in its framing, are places to study as much as to remember.

What did WMF's leadership say?

Bénédicte de Montlaur of the World Monuments Fund said: "For three decades, the World Monuments Watch has given us a direct view of what communities are facing on the ground. This year's nominations show that the pressures on heritage are intensifying while the resources to protect it are not keeping pace."

Montlaur also cited the UNESCO Global Report on Cultural Policies, which found that only one in four countries has the means to safeguard its heritage. "Communities are being asked to do more with less as climate change accelerates and the skills needed to care for these places grow scarce," she said. "These findings are a call to action, and they will help guide where our work is needed most."

Who selects the 2027 list?

Nominations undergo internal and external evaluation based on cultural significance, threat urgency and the feasibility of community-driven solutions. An international panel chaired by Brinda Somaya, founder and principal of Somaya Sompat, will deliberate the final selection. Its members include:

• Victoria Herrmann, founder and executive director of Preserving Legacies
• Rohit Jigyasu, program manager at SEAMEO-SPAFA
• Ishanlosen Odiaua, senior social development specialist at the World Bank and ICOMOS Nigeria member
• John Schofield, professor and director of studies for cultural heritage management at the University of York
• Roger Valencia, Peru's minister of foreign trade and tourism and former minister of culture
• Patiphol Yodsurang, associate professor in the Faculty of Architecture at Kasetsart University

The complete 2027 World Monuments Watch list will be announced in February 2027. Recent WMF initiatives signal where its attention sits: a list of ten United States heritage places for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, official support for 21 preservation projects launched this year, and the 2026 WMF/Knoll Modernism Prize, awarded to Australia-based firm Architectus for conserving the United Nations' Africa Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. For conservation practices and crafts specialists, a 44% skills-gap figure and 25 funded slots suggest where the next wave of commissioning will concentrate.