Conserving the Lascaux cave, "as well as possible, for as long as possible" as Professor Coppens put it, is a major daily challenge for the Ministry of Culture’s heritage departments.
Reducing the number of tourists on the hill
With so much at stake, making the entire hill an official conservation area, a priority for the French government, appeared to be the most effective way of reducing tourist numbers on the hill, which is visited by almost 250,000 people a year on their way to Lascaux II, in addition to ensuring that cars are parked further away from the karstic area around the cave. The aim is to limit the risks of contamination in a cave that is already subject, by virtue of its general configuration and topographical location, to external climatic variations and possible microbiological disruption.
Since 2014, the access road to the cave has been off-limits to vehicles, and a bypass road has been built by the Dordogne Departmental Council to ensure access to the Régourdou site.
Pedestrian access to Lascaux II
Although the exact operating conditions for the Lascaux II replica have yet to be set out, it has been decided that visitors will be able to access the site on foot or by electric shuttle. This restriction will be accompanied by the removal of the car park next to the cave, which will be replanted.