A framework to determine geological hazards conditioning factors: A case study in Xishuangbanna

This study proposes a framework for determining geological hazard (e.g. landslides and floods) conditioning factors, by conducting landslide susceptibility assessment in Xishuangbanna as a case study. The framework aims to enhance urban planning and mitigate damage by providing a detailed area ranked landslide susceptibility map. Fourteen most frequently adopted factors were initially selected as primary factors from literature for the landslide conditioning factor determination process. Subsequently, 27 scenarios were designed to test the influence of each factor on the model’s prediction power by evaluating the Area Under the Curve value of the produced maps. The study identified seven key factors that strongly influence landslides in Xishuangbanna. These factors, listed in order of increasing weighting values from low to high, include Distance to Fault, Elevation, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Distance to Road, Land Use and Land Cover, Lithology, and Slope Angle. These factors, along with the adopted frequency ratio model, achieved a successful rate and prediction rate of 85.8% and 84.0%, respectively. This indicates a reasonable landslide conditioning factor group and a reliable model for the study area. The proposed framework and case study fill a regional research gap and contribute to the broader field of geological hazards assessment and mitigation.