The historic Cordouan lighthouse, France's last continuously inhabited lighthouse, located off the coast of Gironde, faces potential cuts to its year-round guardianship due to significant annual deficits of €200,000 to €300,000. Managed by the Syndicat mixte pour le développement durable de l’estuaire de la Gironde (Smiddest), the 400-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site, which welcomes 20,000 to 25,000 visitors annually from April to September, is under scrutiny as the state seeks cost-saving measures. Associations and local stakeholders are expressing concern that reducing or eliminating the four guardians' presence could compromise the lighthouse's heritage status, potentially leading to vandalism and even de-listing from UNESCO, as their continuous presence is a condition of its World Heritage status.