Characteristics and causes of natural and human-induced landslides in a tropical mountainous region: the rift flank west of Lake Kivu (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Maki, Jean-Claude Mateso [UCL] Bielders, Charles [UCL] Monsieurs, Elise Depicker, Arthur Smets, Benoît Tambala, Théophile Bagalwa Mateso, Luc Dewitte, Olivier et al.[show all]

Tropical mountainous regions are often identified as landslide hotspots with growing population pressure. Anthropogenic factors are assumed to play a role in the occurrence of landslides in these densely populated regions, yet the relative importance of these human-induced factors remains poorly documented. In this work, we aim to explore the impact of forest cover dynamics, roads and mining activities on the characteristics and causes of landslides in the rift flank west of Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo). To do so, we compile a comprehensive multi-temporal inventory of 2730 landslides. The landslides are of different types and are grouped into five categories that are adapted to study the impact of human activities on slope stability: old (pre-1950s) and recent (post-1950s) deep-seated landslides, shallow landslides, landslides associated with mining and landslides associated with road construction. We analyse the landslides according to this classification protocol via frequency–area statistics, frequency ratio distribution and logistic regression susceptibility assessment. We find that natural factors contributing to the cause of recent and old deep-seated landslides were either different or changed over time. Under similar topographic conditions, shallow landslides are more frequent, but of a smaller size, in areas where deforestation has occurred since the 1950s. We attribute this size reduction to the decrease in regolith cohesion due to forest loss, which allows for a smaller minimum critical area for landsliding. In areas that were already deforested in the 1950s, shallow landslides are less frequent, larger and occur on less steep slopes. This suggests a combined role between regolith availability and soil management practices that influence erosion and water infiltration. Mining activities increase the odds of landsliding. Landslides associated with mining and roads are larger than shallow landslides but smaller than the recent deep-seated instabilities, and they are controlled by environmental factors that are not present under natural conditions. Our analysis demonstrates the role of human activities on the occurrence of landslides in the Lake Kivu region. Overall, it highlights the need to consider this context when studying hillslope instability characteristics and distribution patterns in regions under anthropogenic pressure. Our work also highlights the importance of using landslide classification criteria adapted to the context of the Anthropocene.