Chapter 13 – The Conservation of Paleolithic Cave Art in Northern Spain
p. 303-322
Texte intégral
13.1 Introduction
1The conservation of rock art and of its surrounding environment is today an imperative in the management of this precious heritage. After a first phase focused primarily on the knowledge and opening to the public of rock art sites, and in response to the problems that human interventions can cause for parietal art, legislative, administrative and technical tools have been developed to deal with the risks of deterioration. In this context, we wish to congratulate the initiative of the French Ministry of Culture for holding this Symposium, which brings together researchers, technicians and managers of rock art sites. The conservation of cave art is also one of the main concerns of the administration of culture and specialized research in Spain. We hope that this paper will convey a general idea of the state of the art of this topic in Northern Spain.
13.2 The conservation of caves: diverse risk factors
2Caves and rock shelters are the typical locations of Paleolithic cave art in Northern Spain (Ontañón-Peredo 2009a) (fig. 172). These karst formations can be affected by a variety of factors that can modify their characteristics over time or cause irreversible damage (Durán Valsero, López Martínez 1989).

FIG. 172 – Map of Northern Spain showing the caves with parietal art (in yellow, the caves included in the UNESCO World Heritage List).
© Ingenia SL.
3These factors can be divided into two groups; those produced by natural processes and those introduced by human actions, including local competition for land use, theft, vandalism and modifications to facilitate tourist activities.
413.2.1 Natural processes and risks
5Progressing usually over thousands of years, the actions and consequences of most of these processes are perceptible only at a geological scale. Here we are most interested in the processes that are perceptible at a human time-scale, and will thus describe what are known as risk situations, meaning those situations resulting from an abrupt or unforeseeable modification to the environmental conditions of the cave. These processes and their consequences occur suddenly, rather than over long periods. They are of four kinds.
6The risks associated with slope phenomena
7These processes are influenced by a large range of causal factors, such as climate, precipitation, the thickness of the layer of loose material covering the ground over a large part of Cantabrian Spain, or the presence of plastic clayey materials (Cendrero et al. 2005). All of these factors, in association with favorable structural conditions (medium or steep-sided slopes of over 10%) contribute to initiating this type of process (García Codrón 1984). Deforestation plays a significant role as the denudation of soils increases the impact of these processes, sometimes resulting in the obstruction of a cave entrance by collapsed material, or even the partial or total destruction of a site (i.e. Sovilla Cave).
8The risk of flooding
9This risk is also determined by a great variety of factors, such as climate, rainfall regimes, or river and stream regimes (Bárcena, Garmendia 2003; García Codrón 2004). The amount and frequency of rainfall can affect the water filtering through the roof and walls of the cave, resulting in humidity, water washing down the walls, and even erosion. All of these processes can lead to damage to cave art and prehistoric deposits. In the case of caves whose entrances are located near a water-course there are risk situations in which the stream could break its banks and flood the cave, which then acts as a sink-hole. In other cases, the flow of a stream inside the cave can increase, resulting in a rise in the water level that affects deposits or decorated walls (either directly or by forming siphons that cut off access to them for long periods of time) (i.e. El Valle or Fuente del Salín caves: fig. 173).

FIG. 173 – The “interior lake” in Chufín Cave, an artificial feature created by the rising of the inner water level due to the construction of a reservoir.
© Gouvernement de Cantabrie, département Culture, Tourisme et Sports, collection Pedro Saura.
10The risk of fire
11Although the cave art sites are located in the humid region of Spain (Mata Olmo, Sanz Herráiz 2004), the number of forest fires has increased greatly in recent years (Carracedo et al. 2007). These fires affect both autochthonous woodland and, above all, industrial plantations. This is another risk that is difficult to predict and combat and the actions needed to reduce it must include prevention and social awareness, as well as the analysis of sensitive areas with a high likelihood of suffering fires.
12Seismic risk
13Finally, although the Iberian Peninsula and the region of Northern Spain in particular are considered as areas of low seismic risk, periods of medium and low earthquake activity may occur, especially in the Asturias-León area. There thus exists the possibility, however low, of movements that could cause collapses in the caves. In this respect, we can cite the hypothesis put forward by the geologist Manuel Hoyos proposing a seismic cause for the collapses that occurred in the Middle-Upper Magdalenian at the entrances to several caves in Northern Spain, such as Altamira, Tito Bustillo and La Garma.
14We must underline here the action and effects of biological agents that can have serious consequences for cave art and the rock walls. Different animal and plant species can affect sites in various ways: some animals, particularly bats, enter caves and deposit excrements; others dig in the cave floor and disturb the archaeological deposit or scratch the walls with their claws (e.g. badgers or bears); above all, colonies of micro-organisms form films over the cave walls, which can be a factor in the reconstruction or decomposition of the rock surface. The presence of micro-organisms in caves may be entirely natural, but it has been shown that a build-up of these dangerous species is among the effects of frequent human visits (fig. 174).

FIG. 174 – Microbe population on a painting at Las Monedas Cave (Actinobacteria, Pseudonocardia, Chloroflexi, γ‑Proteobacteria, β‑Proteobacteria).
© María Isabel Sarró
15Finally, another natural process producing a potential risk to Paleolithic cave art in North Spain is world climate change, through a general increase in temperatures that may have an effect on underground micro-environmental conditions.
13.2.2 Local competition for land use
16The intense competition for land among its different users is a characteristic of the entire territory of Northern Spain (Rivas Mantecón, Cendrero Uceda 1993; Grupo de Investigación 2006; Ose 2009).
17One of the main factors with potentially negative effects on cave heritage is urban growth, occurring without consideration of the concept of land occupation capacity. The perimeter of the buffer zone around the cave may become strangled, or the boundary may even be surpassed. The original surroundings of the cave may be greatly altered through the introduction of elements associated more with an urban environment than a natural one. In this process of competition for land, municipal authorities tend to reclassify rural land as urban (rarely the contrary). This complicates the situation as protected areas are subject to the pressure of speculation, especially in the fast developing areas of the coastal lowlands, the main towns and tourist areas (i.e. Cudón Cave or Urdiales Cave).
18In close relationship with this urban pressure, infrastructures can potentially have a negative effect on archaeological heritage. This is the case when they need to be located near a protected area or even cross into its perimeter. This category of risk includes not only roads and other ways and forms of transport, but also the infrastructures involved in water, gas or electricity supplies. The negative effects of infrastructures may be felt at two different times. The first is during the construction phase when, depending on the hardness of the materials, explosives are often used to break up rock obstacles for the new road or tubes. These can harm the geological structure of the cave and at the same time alter its hydrogeological regime or rainwater channeling systems (through the appearance of new cracks and fissures in the rock cover). Secondly, when an infrastructure such as a new motorway or road comes into use it can lead to air and acoustic pollution, as well as vibrations in the ground that can negatively affect the conservation of the cave and its contents of Paleolithic art (i.e. Covaciella Cave).
19The installation of a quarry or a mine, or the enlargement of an existing exploitation, may have a far greater potential impact on a protected property or its buffer zone. In these cases, the risk factor is multiplied exponentially, as the use of explosives may destroy a cave directly or produce vibrations that are potentially dangerous for the conservation of nearby caves. In addition to this risk, the dust and larger-sized particles produced by the activity may be transported by wind or water and introduced into caves, resulting in alterations to the rock surface containing the art. (i.e. Fuente del Salín, Sovilla, Santián, Praileaitz I caves).
20Another form of economic activity that can harm underground heritage is forestry, especially in the form of plantations of fast-growing, highly-productive trees, such as eucalyptus and pine (fig. 175). These trees develop a deep, extensive root system that can penetrate into cave passages near the ground surface and then cover the roof, walls and floor with a blanket of roots. The caves may suffer the destructive action of the roots, which affect the more delicate formations, and which may also break up the bedrock containing the cave and vary its morphology. Equally, the plantations alter the drainage patterns on the surface, increasing or reducing the filtration of water into the underground cavities. The roots also introduce other biological agents that are harmful to cave art (i.e. El Calero II Cave and other caves).

FIG. 175 – Map of industrial forestry plantations and location of caves with rock art in Cantabria.
© Ingenia SL.
21The other economic activity that presents a serious risk of negative effects on the preservation of cave art is farming. Dairy-farming is a characteristic economic activity in the region and one traditional use of caves is as shelters for cattle, goats or sheep. Animals in this context are a potential danger for the caves as they can damage the deposits in the entrances by trampling them and by introducing other harmful life forms into the cave environment. Another danger is represented by a by-product of cattle-rearing, especially when the animals are kept in stables, which is the large quantity of manure produced. This may be spread on the land as fertilizer or leak from its tanks and filter into the ground, producing extremely harmful effects on the cave art (i.e. Tito Bustillo Cave).
13.2.3 Other risks
22Other actions that can negatively affect decorated caves and their buffer zone are linked to the knowledge and use of the caves and their own intrinsic value. We can first mention theft, which can even occur in the case of gated and show-caves. This can affect the archaeological deposit, the figures or, more frequently, the formations and speleothems.
23Vandalism must also be mentioned. Its effects occur mostly in the protection areas, entrances and first parts of the caves (names, initials, phrases or simply marks scratched or painted on the walls as graffiti). Its cause lies in a lack of appreciation of the cultural heritage (fig. 176). Vandalism also occurs in the facilities built outside show-caves. As these are recreational areas, they sometimes attract people who damage them and leave litter, a problem that has recently increased due to the present trends in leisure among certain sectors of the population (i.e. La Peña de Candamo, La Clotilde, El Juyo).

FIG. 176 – La Clotilde Cave. Engraving of an aurochs ruined by scratching on a clay surface.
© Louis de Seille, collection privée de monsieur Jean Clottes.
24Concerning the design of show-caves, it has, on occasion, been too aggressive towards the surroundings of the cave (pavements, asphalt paths, excessive urban furniture), as these elements introduce clearly urban elements into a rural or natural environment. This facilitates the attendance of visitors, thus increasing their numbers, so that the potential negative consequences are only increased. This kind of aggressive design has affected the interior of some show-caves in some very significant ways. Some caves were prepared for tourist visits by digging out and lowering the floor level, closing natural entrances, blocking passages and opening others, dividing up the underground space by building walls, installing electric lights, etc., without taking into account the potentially harmful effects on the conservation of the caves and their art. Most of the caves with Paleolithic art recently included in the World Heritage List are open to the public: Candamo, Tito Bustillo and El Pindal in Asturias; Chufín, El Castillo, Las Monedas, Hornos de la Peña, El Pendo and Covalanas in Cantabria; Santimamiñe in Vizcaya (partially). El Buxu and La Loja in Asturias, and Cullalvera in Cantabria are also open to the public. It is clear that the adaptations made for tourism and the continual entry of people in a cave can alter the underground environmental conditions, which clearly enabled the preservation of the art over a long period of time until the present day. Changes in the air circulation, in the temperature and concentration of carbon dioxide, and in the relative humidity, biological pollution, vandalism and negligent actions, can all result in serious threats for the preservation of cave art, in cases such as Altamira itself.
25Finally, another anthropic agent of deterioration that has acted directly or indirectly on the walls and the art is inappropriate research, by direct tracing of figures, moulds or inadequate lighting.
13.3 Administrative and Effective Protection and Conservation of the Caves
26The legal and administrative instruments for the protection and management of cave art sites are intended to guarantee that the conditions of integrity of these sites will be maintained in the future. The properties have been given the highest status of protection existing in the legislation at all levels of Spanish administration: national, autonomous community and local (Alegre Ávila 1992; Querol Fernández, Martínez Díaz 1996). Furthermore, the full and efficient application of these measures will ensure the adequate protection of the properties in the face of development and changes that might have negative effects on their preservation. Equally, given the specific requirements of a cultural property of this kind, all the subterranean sites have their respective buffer zone, which in Spanish legislation is known as an “area of protection”.
13.3.1 Ownership
27All the Paleolithic cave art sites in Northern Spain are located underground. According to Spanish law (Spanish Constitution of 1978, article 132; Law of the Juridical System of Properties in the Public Domain, 2003), the sub-soil is commonly in the public domain from the point where there is a real possibility of its use and the reasonably protected interest of the owners. As in the case of mines, according to article 339 of the Civil Code, it corresponds to the competent Administration to regulate the rights of use and exploitation through administrative concessions. In addition, the land where the archaeological sites are located may be public property, traditional-communal land (parish councils) or private, although the rights of the landowner have an underground limit.
28Caves with Paleolithic art are also included in the so-called “archaeological public domain” (Barcelona Llop 2000). This juridical concept is defined in Law 16/1985, of Spanish Historic Heritage, in which article 40.2 expressly declares that “caves, rock-shelters and other places containing prehistoric art are properties with cultural interest”. In this way, these properties are declared to be scheduled monuments, with special protection, greater than that received by other properties of Historic Heritage, as a response by the legislation to their fragile nature.
29In consequence, it can be said that in the case of caves containing Paleolithic art, the existence of these Historic Heritage Properties implies the ownership of the underground space, independently of the rights of the owner of the land where the cave is located.
13.3.2 Protective designation
30As said above, all the caves with prehistoric art in Spain have been granted the maximum legal protection provided by legislation. Furthermore, the Additional clause 1 of the Law 16/1985 provides that the properties that had previously been listed as historic-artistic monuments, as is the case of many of the decorated caves, should be considered and denominated Properties of Cultural Interest. The respective regulations of the Autonomous Communities later refer back to these precepts in the fundamental protective designations of the properties with cave art: Law of the Principality of Asturias 1/2001 of Cultural Heritage, Law 11/1998 of the Cultural Heritage of Cantabria, and Law 7/1990 of Basque Cultural Heritage.
13.3.3 Means of implementing protective measures
31The three Cultural Heritage laws presented above provide for the maximum legal protection for caves and rock-shelters with prehistoric art. This protection affects the property itself and the buffer zone around it, forming the denominated “area of protection”.
32In this way, both the cave and the area of protection are properties whose use and development are subject to a special juridical system with the aim of ensuring their protection. To achieve this, the area around the cave is taken into account to enable a correct perception and understanding of the property and its attributes, as it is functionally important as an environmental and cultural support for the property and its protection. Its alteration could affect the values of the property. The areas of protection are therefore a buffer zone for the property, as any actions in the areas, including changes of land use, must be authorized by the relevant administrative body: either the authority in matters of Cultural Heritage or the local administrations, if the corresponding instrument of local planning has come into force (fig. 177).

FIG. 177 – Area of protection of the Monte Castillo Archaeological Zone (Puente Viesgo, Cantabria).
© Gouvernement de Cantabrie, département Culture, Tourisme et Sports.
33In short, the means of implementing protective measures for the Cave art sites are:
– all interventions in the caves or their buffer zones are subject to the mandatory favorable report of the relevant authority in matters of Cultural Heritage,
– the procedure of Environmental Impact Assessment,
– the implements of land planning, such as the general town and country plans with their mandatory heritage catalogues.
13.3.4 Conservation measures: past, present and future
34Only a small number of studies on the conservation of cave art have been made, in comparison with research on the depictions as an artistic phenomenon (Fortea Pérez 1993). In fact, there was little interest in the topic in Spain until the late 1970’s, when the conservation of the paintings in Altamira Cave began to be a cause for concern. Since that time, several studies have been made to understand geological, physical, chemical, climatic and biological aspects of the environment of Altamira Cave. By discovering the natural environmental dynamics of the cave it has been possible to apply conservation policies that will guarantee its legacy to future generations. These same conservation policies are currently in force in a more generalized way in other caves in North Spain, and a large number of sites have now been studied to a greater or lesser extent, facilitating appropriate management and conservation measures (fig. 178). Mainly in the cases of show-caves, but also in other caves not open to public visits, studies have been carried out on the micro-environmental conditions inside the cave and on the repercussions that visits could have on these conditions, in order to determine their “carrying capacity”.

FIG. 178 – SEM photography of a microbe population on a painting at Chúfín Cave:the presence of the bacteria reinforces the formation of aragonite crystals caught among the exopolysaccharides.
© Iwona Beech et M. Isabel Sarró.
35In order to solve the potential or current problems, multi-disciplinary studies have been started to examine the state of conservation of the caves using different scientific and technical approaches or perspectives. In this way, the characteristics of the cave environments have been determined and the different parameters being analyzed have been monitored. In the case of caves open (or intended to be open) to the public, the results have then been compared with data concerning the number of visits and length of stay of staff and visitors in the cave. It has thus been possible to establish the kind and degree of impact that the visits have on the micro-environment and, consequently, to determine the “carrying capacity” of the caves, i.e. an appropriate number of visitors per day, according to the season of the year.
36Previous actions and projects in progress Apart from at Altamira, the subject of another presentation in this symposium, the following studies have been undertaken at sites in North Spain in connection with the conservation of their parietal art:
– La Peña de Candamo: biological, air quality and environmental parameters studies (Hoyos et al. 1998; Fortea Pérez, Hoyos Gómez 1999);
– Tito Bustillo: microbiological, air quality and environmental parameters studies (Groth et al. 1999; Fortea Pérez, Hoyos Gómez 1999; González del Valle et al. 2002; Schabereiter-Gurtner et al. 2002, 2003; Sánchez-Moral et al. 1997, 2003);
– El Buxu: microbiological, geological and environmental studies’;
– Covaciella: geological, biological and percolation water studies (Fortea Pérez et al. 1995; Fortea Pérez, Hoyos Gómez 1999);
– Llonín: microbiological and geological studies (González del Valle et al. 2002; Schabereiter-Gurtner et al. 2004);
– La Loja: microbiological, geological and environmental studies’;
– El Pindal: microbiological, geological and environmental studies’;
– Chufín: microbiological studies (Sarró Moreno et al. 2008);
– La Pasiega and Las Chimeneas: microbiological and geological studies (Somavilla et al. 1978);
– Santián: microbiological, geological and environmental studies’;
– La Garma: microbiological, geological, water quality and environmental studies;
– El Pendo: microbiological, geological and environmental studies;
– Cobrantes: geological studies1;
– Covalanas and La Haza: microbiological and environmental studies;
– Urdiales: geological and environmental studies (Montes et al. 2005);
– radon concentration measurements at Chufín, El Castillo, Chimeneas, Monedas, Hornos de la Peña, El Pendo, La Garma, Covalanas and La Haza (Sainz et al. 2007);
– microclimate, geological-geochemical and geo-microbiological studies carried out by the CSIC at caves in the Basque Country: Ventalaperra, Arenaza, Santimamiñe, Ekain and Altxerri.
37Other studies currently in progress are being undertaken by the Culture Council of Cantabria at the caves of Las Monedas and El Castillo. They consist of the study of environmental parameters and their relationship with visits, the composition of percolation water, and the presence of micro-organisms in connection with the artificial lighting in the caves (Sarró Moreno et al. 2007; 2008). This work will be carried out from this year (2009) in the framework of a Project of documentation and integral management of the decorated caves open to the public in Cantabria, developed in collaboration with the Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute (Ministry of Culture).
38Some results
39The results obtained from the environmental studies basically show significant seasonal variations and the existence of variations due to the different techniques used. With the introduction of modern molecular biology techniques to the microbiological studies, significant changes are seen in relation with the estimation and presence of some of the genera detected by traditional culture techniques. These new methods may improve our knowledge of the microbe populations and help in solving occasional bio-deterioration problems noted in some cave paintings (at Tito Bustillo, Altamira and Las Monedas) and in defining the technical measures to be implemented with greater precision. Integral, multidisciplinary studies in which the different factors being considered here are assessed simultaneously are currently being implemented, and should be the future of cave conservation research (García Díez, Sarró Moreno 2005). Indeed, they should be thought of as a management tool enabling these sites to be exploited for public visits without creating conservation problems. Cultural tourism at these cave sites will thus become a model of sustainable management and exploitation (Durán Valsero, López-Martínez 2009).
40As a general and interim result of these studies, we can state that, under the present conditions, the caves open to the public can absorb the present number of visitors without anticipating any adverse affects on their conservation.
41One case worthy of special attention in this section is the Lower Gallery at La Garma (Arias Cabal et al. 1997; 2001). This is a level of the cave system, 300 m long, where the main entrance was blocked in the late Pleistocene. This allowed the preservation of nearly 600 square meters of floors of an occupation dated to the Middle Magdalenian (c. 14500 cal BC). In addition to thousands of other archaeological remains, the cave contains an important assemblage of parietal art and the remains of activities related to the parietal art nearby (fig. 179). Since the very moment of its discovery, in November 1995, the Lower Gallery has been protected with several gates and an alarm system. Moreover, strict limitations have been established on the people allowed to visit the cave. This includes the archaeological team, whose members must follow a narrow path when walking through the cave. Sensors measuring environmental variables have been installed in several parts of the gallery and the presence of microorganisms has been studied, as well as the geological and hydrogeological conditions. The interim results of these studies have shown that the environmental conditions are very stable throughout the year, with a minimal incidence of seasonal variations. This is due to the slow circulation of large air masses within a large underground volume, whose only connection to the outside environment is through two small openings. Some noticeable differences are seen also in the processes of water-flow and reconstruction; large areas of the cave are covered by precipitated calcite, whereas in other areas the floors have the same appearance as they must have had about 16,500 years ago. Regarding microbiological aspects, the microorganisms documented in the Lower Gallery at La Garma are very similar to those documented in the show-caves, such as Altamira and, above all, Tito Bustillo. However, their presence here must be explained by strictly natural causes. The blockage at the cave entrance has also influenced the preservation of the parietal art. Significant differences can be seen between the preservation of the Paleolithic paintings belonging to the archaic phase and those dated to the Magdalenian. The red paintings located near the original entrance are badly faded as they were long exposed to the light and exterior atmospheric conditions; in contrast, the archaic depictions in the interior of the cave are well-preserved, as are more recent paintings near the old entrance, as they were exposed to the influence of the outside conditions for a much shorter time before the entrance became blocked.

FIG. 179 – Lower Gallery of La Garma, detail of Zone IX (at the innermost part of the cave): large stain of ground red ochre on the floor and a vertical black painting of a bison.
© Gouvernement de Cantabrie, département Culture, Tourisme et Sports, collection Pedro Saura.
42The excellent preservation of the floors in this cave provides archaeologists with a unique opportunity to achieve a complete analysis of the archaeological remains and their spatial distribution (Ontañón 2003). However, this same uniqueness challenges normal methodological approaches. The site can be defined as an extremely fragile environment, demanding maximum care. Mobility is seriously limited and the use of standard methods of excavation would be inadequate for the conditions of preservation at the site (Arias Cabal et al. 2000). A methodological strategy that is adapted to the particularities of the Lower Gallery has therefore been developed. It is based on the combined use of photogrammetric techniques and the on-site study of the archaeological remains from the preserved surfaces. The aim is to achieve a complete record of remains and to generate plans of each of the Zones (using geodetic standards -U.T.M.), while leaving the Paleolithic floors in a state of preservation as close to the original as possible. The methodology therefore emphasizes the use of nonintrusive techniques while being precise in the recording of the data. In a certain way, the approach may be described as moving part of the laboratory inside the cave, instead of the standard strategy of moving the archaeological items to the laboratory.
43The strategy developed by the Archaeological project thus attempts to make the archaeological documentation of the site compatible with the preservation of a unique testimony of our Paleolithic ancestors, in a state as close as possible to that in which it was found in 1995 (Arias et al. 2004).
13.4 Towards a Common Management of the Rock Art of Cantabrian Spain
13.4.1 Antecedents
44In the context of the territorial organization of the Spanish State, and the autonomy granted to the different administrations into which it is divided (autonomous communities, provinces and municipalities), the management of Cave art sites takes place within a decentralized structure of authority. In this way, practically all authority in matters of Cultural Heritage has been transferred to the different autonomous communities; in this case, to the Principality of Asturias, the Autonomous Community of Cantabria, and the Basque Country. In addition, the administrative particularity of the latter community must be taken into account, as it consists of three provinces whose Deputations also have certain power in the question of Cultural Heritage. This situation of administrative separation means that the management of Cultural Heritage is completely independent in each of the autonomous communities.
45Although the general principles of cultural management and heritage conservation have resulted in similar policies and actions in each of these communities, the inclusion of the property “Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain” in the World Heritage List in July 2008, means that it must be managed jointly by the three regions under the auspices of UNESCO. In fact, the property was accepted as an extension to the existing property of Altamira Cave, which therefore also links the autonomous administrations with the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Spain (Ontañón-Peredo 2008; 2009b).
46This coordinated management of Paleolithic Cave Art in North Spain is expressed formally in the Management Plan that has been designed for the property.
13.4.2 Objectives
47The fundamental objective of the Management Plan is to develop the coordinated management of the property, with the participation of all the administrations involved: state, autonomous communities and provinces. In this context, the aim is to implement coordinated and planned actions to develop programs, action plans and projects, combining forces and tending towards co-participation in order to achieve the goals of conservation, protection, research and social use of the property. The ultimate aim is therefore to coordinate all the actions and initiatives that affect the property and which may arise from the different administrations and from other organizations and institutions, such as municipal corporations, local action groups, civil associations, etc.
13.4.3 Management body
48In order to coordinate the management of the property, the administrations involved have constituted a joint organ of cooperation with certain specific functions: The Commission for the Coordination of the Property “Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain”. This Commission was created within the Spanish Historical Heritage Council, an organ of coordination between the Ministry of Culture and the Autonomous Communities in matters of cultural heritage, according to the agreement reached in its meeting of October 11, 2007.
49Its fundamental mission is to provide the necessary communication between the administrations of the Autonomous Communities and the Ministry of Culture in order to collaborate and cooperate in the programs and actions that are foreseen in relation with the property. Its specific functions are:
– perform the coordinated monitoring of the state of conservation of the property, particularly in the process of preparing periodical reports to be presented to UNESCO and the drafting of recommendations that may arise from these reports;
– make recommendations for the coordinated management of the archaeological sites in aspects relative to their status as World Heritage;
– approve a system of common signposting for the caves forming part of the serial property;
– promote research in Paleolithic cave art in North Spain and the cooperation between the educational and research bodies, interpretation centers and museums linked to this subject;
– approve joint actions to publicize the property and promote its cultural and tourist qualities, as well as to make the general public aware of its outstanding universal value;
– any other functions that are considered necessary for the appropriate coordination and cooperation in the management of the serial property.
13.5 The state of conservation of Paleolithic Cave Art in Northern Spain
50Paleolithic cave art is one of the most valuable cultural manifestations in universal history and, at the same time, one of the most fragile. The exceptional nature of Paleolithic cave art sites is augmented as the passage of time and different factors of natural and anthropic alteration cause its deterioration and, consequently, the loss of the art and its surroundings. It is an easily damaged property and therefore needs special protection and particular conservation measurements.
51The case of Altamira is paradigmatic in this sense. From 1879, the year when its rock art was discovered, until 1977, the cave received tourist visits, dangerously neglecting the preservation of this magnificent cave art ensemble. The major alterations made inside the cave and the lack of any control over the number of visitors resulted in an evident deterioration of its paintings. However, since it was closed until recent years, Altamira is setting the standards for conservation measures in cave art in Northern Spain and, it may be said, in the whole of Western Europe.
52The application of legal and regulatory instruments, the effective protection and vigilance of caves, the monitoring of their micro-environmental conditions and restrictions in the number of visitors to them, are the main measures for the conservation of cave art and its surroundings. The combined action of these conservationist tools has the single aim of eliminating, or at least attenuating to minimal levels, the causes of détérioration (fig. 180).

FIG. 180 – The “hand stencils panel” in El Castillo Cave.
© Gouvernement de Cantabrie, département Culture, Tourisme et Sports, collection Pedro Saura.
53With Altamira as their main reference, the administrations in North Spain have set in motion conservationist initiatives of similar kinds, aimed at determining the natural conditions that have propitiated the preservation of the paintings and engravings, and then establishing the protocols of heritage management that will help to maintain the integrity of the art and its environment. This must be made compatible with public knowledge and enjoyment. Given the variety of potential agents and processes acting on the cave art, conservation is seen as a multi-disciplinary task, with the intervention of different specialists (physicists, chemists, geologists, biologists and archaeologists) and administrative staff (technicians, administrators, cave managers and guides).
54The results of the studies currently being undertaken have been quite positive as regards the preservation of Cave art in Northern Spain. Enormous progress has been made in understanding the caves and the state of conservation of the art. This has allowed existing problems to be detected and has provided the means of solving them (actions related to cave gates, installation of protective nets, cleaning graffiti and colonies of micro-organisms, modifications in the lighting systems, establishing the optimum number of visitors, supervision of farming and forestry uses and building work in the area of the caves, etc.)
55As a result of the World Heritage nomination, the established coordinating body will enable a unified and homogeneous management of the property, according to UNESCO’s general guidelines (Sanz 2009). It will establish the main lines of action and monitor their execution by the different administrations within the property management plan, particularly all matters concerning the protection, conservation, signposting and promotion of the property.
56Consequently, it can be said the current state of conservation of Paleolithic cave art in Northern Spain is highly satisfactory and the factors of potential damage are reasonably under control.
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