Assessment of landslide susceptibility and risk factors in China

Landslides represent some of the most important geological disasters and not only pose a threat to human beings but also have a serious destructive impact on the environment and property. Delimiting the potential distribution of landslide risk zones is of great significance for reducing casualties and economic losses and promoting sustainable development. Research has been performed on landslide hazard risk assessment for decades; however, the risk factors for landslide disasters in China are still not well understood. Based on the assembled georeferenced landslide occurrence records and a set of spatial covariates, the risk factors for landslide disasters are estimated, and a landslide susceptibility map is generated using the maximum entropy model. The results suggest that distance to roads, rainfall, and land use are the main risk factors affecting landslide occurrence, with relative contribution rate values of 32.9%, 29.8%, and 14.3%, respectively. The estimate map reveals that the potential landslide risk for zones in eastern and southern parts of China is higher than that in zones in western and northern China and that the predicted highest risk provinces are Yunnan, Sichuan and Hunan. Our findings provide an important basis for decision-making regarding disaster prevention and mitigation.