Ancient cave paintings threatened by tourist plans

Prehistoric paintings in northern Spain could be irreparably damaged if plans to reopen the Altamira cave to tourists go ahead. Local officials want to reopen the cave to boost the local economy, but visitors could heat the caves and introduce microbes that destroy pigments.

The Altamira cave paintings were discovered in 1879 and are thought to be at least 14,000 years old. The paintings have attracted huge numbers of visitors – 175,000 in 1973, the busiest year on record. But the cave was closed to the public in 2002 after photosynthetic bacteria and fungi were found to be consuming pigments at alarming rates.

Plans to reopen the caves could restart the damaging processes. A team from the Spanish National Research Council in Madrid have modelled the effect of visitors over a number of years and say that tourists would increase the temperature, humidity and carbon-dioxide levels in the cave, creating conditions in which microbes would thrive.

In addition, visitors would bring with them organic matter in the form of skin flakes, clothing fibres and dust, which microbes can consume. Air turbulence created by moving people would spread bacterial and fungal spores to other, previously unaffected spaces.
Another Lascaux?

Although reopening the caves might boost the economy in the short term, says lead researcher Cesáreo Sáiz Jiménez, the damage would outweigh the benefit. "The paintings are a legacy from the past and their importance exceeds local culture."

The researchers say they want to prevent the scale of damage that occurred at the Lascaux cave in France, where mismanagement led to successive waves of pathogens attacking wall paintings there. For example, pesticides intended to destroy microorganisms became a source of nutrients for them instead.

Sáiz Jiménez and his colleagues conclude that only isolation from the outside world can prevent the same kind of damage at Altamira.
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References:

Harvey, Charles. 2011. "Ancient cave paintings threatened by tourist plans". New Scientist. Posted: October 6, 2011. Available online: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21020-ancient-cave-paintings-threatened-by-tourist-plans.html