## 7 Discussion
### Research and Conservation Plan  
From a conservation standpoint, the designation of the Benzu rock shelter and cave site as a Property of Cultural Interest (Bien de Int\(\grave{e}\)s Cultural, BIC) in 2008 introduces a direct responsibility on the part of the autonomous city of Ceuta regarding its protection, monitoring, and active management. However, the site's geological and geographical context presents multiple risk factors that demand a multidisciplinary approach to any \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{p{113.8 pt} p{113.8 pt} p{113.8 pt}} \hline \hline
**Aspect** & **Traditional Methods** & **New Technologies** \\ \hline Written recording & Manuscripts, paper forms, and physical field journals & Use of mobile devices with digital forms and centralised databases \\ \hline Archaeological drawing & Freehand sketches and drawings on graph paper & Digital drawing software based on 3D models \\ \hline Photography & Analogue photography & Orthophotos generated from photogrammetry \\ \hline Topography & Total stations with manual levelling & High-precision laser scanners and GNSS \\ \hline
3D modelling & Manual modelling & Photogrammetry and laser scanning \\ \hline Time and efficiency & Requires more time and personnel & Faster recording and automated processing \\ \hline Precision and replicability & Greater margin for human error Difficult to replicate & High precision and replicability \\ \hline Information preservation & Risk of loss or deterioration & Secure cloud-based digital storage \\ \hline Accessibility and dissemination & Limited to physical reports or publications & Online data and virtual reality \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Comparative summary of traditionally used recording methods versus the new technologies applied in this study. intervention. On the one hand, the presence of karstification processes in the carbonate materials, combined with its location in the tectonic contact zone of the Alboran domain, requires systematic monitoring due to the potential for seismic activity. On the other hand, the proximity of the active quarry and its associated blasting operations represent an immediate anthropogenic threat, with direct impacts on the stability of the rock mass in which the site is located, as evidenced by the fractures and rockfalls documented in previous fieldwork campaigns. In this context, high-precision digital documentation (based on laser scanning and photogrammetric modelling) emerges as a strategic tool not only for the conservation of the archaeological record but also for the structural monitoring of the site. The generation of updated three-dimensional models provides reliable metric references that facilitate the detection of morphological alterations (such as the displacement or detachment of rock blocks) over time, without the need for continuous physical interventions. This approach optimises conservation resources in fragile or hard-to-access environments. Furthermore, the Benza cave is located in a tectonically active setting, situated on the Benza anticline and affected by a NE-SW-oriented dextral fault associated with the thrust front of the Alboran domain [75]. This polyphasic tectonic configuration has produced several fracture sets (N-S, ENE-WSW, and NE-SW) that fragment the rock mass, facilitate the circulation of groundwater, and accelerate the physical and chemical weathering processes of the rock, as well as block detachment. In the context of the moderate to high seismicity that characterises the Ceuta region [76], linked to the convergence between the African and Eurasian plates [75], even low-magnitude seismic events could reactivate these discontinuities and compromise the stability of rock blocks within the cavity. To this natural risk must be added anthropogenic factors, such as the aforementioned blasting at the adjacent quarry which has been associated with the appearance of new fractures and progressive rockfalls in the immediate surroundings [23].