What ecological factors to integrate in landslide susceptibility mapping? An exploratory review of current trends in support of eco-DRR

Abstract

Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) reflects the important role that natural ecosystems play in reducing the likelihood, severity, and impact of environmental disasters such as landslides. However, landslide risk assessments often lack explicit references to Eco-DRR and unified frameworks, notably for its Landslide Susceptibility Assessment (LSA). Here, we assess how ecological factors are integrated into LSAs and the feasibility of measuring them, using open Earth Observation (EO) data. We conduct an exploratory review for identifying the factors used in LSAs and ecosystem assessments, determining their commonalities. Key findings indicate that standardization is more lacking in ecosystem assessments than in LSAs, with the former exhibiting a higher dispersion of factors—195 identified across 41 papers—compared to the latter, where only 46 factors were identified across 30 studies. LSAs and ecosystem assessments shared 19 common factors, with only two, the Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Use and Land Cover (LULC), being widely accepted criteria. Our study contributes to advancing Eco-DRR practices by proposing concrete measures to expand the ecological perspective in LSAs and fostering collaboration between DRR and conservation domains. Ultimately, it raises awareness of the pivotal role that healthy ecosystems play in mitigating disasters and addressing societal challenges.