A resilient community on a hillside protected from landslides.

Unstable Ground: How to Protect Your Community from Landslides

Elliot Brynn in Climate & Environment December 2025 • 3 min read.

"Discover the factors that cause landslides and the steps you can take to mitigate their impact on your local area."

Landslides, the movement of soil, rock, and debris down a slope, are a global hazard with potentially devastating consequences. These events can destroy homes, disrupt infrastructure, and, tragically, claim lives. Understanding the factors that contribute to landslides is the first step toward protecting your community.

The causes of landslides are complex and varied, ranging from natural geological processes to human activities that destabilize slopes. Rainfall, soil composition, and the shape of the land all play critical roles. However, construction, deforestation, and changes in land use can significantly increase the risk.

This article will explore the key factors that influence slope stability and provide practical strategies for mitigating landslide risks. By understanding the science behind these disasters, communities can take proactive steps to safeguard their homes and ensure the safety of their residents.

What Makes a Slope Unstable? Key Factors to Consider

A resilient community on a hillside protected from landslides.

Several factors contribute to the instability of slopes, making them susceptible to landslides. These can be broadly categorized into geological, environmental, and human-induced factors.

Here’s a breakdown of the most critical elements:

Geological Factors: The type of soil and rock present in an area significantly affects its stability. Weak or weathered materials, such as clay-rich soils or fractured rocks, are more prone to failure. The presence of geological structures like faults or folds can also create zones of weakness.
Environmental Factors: Water is a major contributor to landslides. Heavy rainfall saturates the soil, increasing its weight and reducing its strength. Changes in groundwater levels can also destabilize slopes. Additionally, erosion from rivers or streams can undercut slopes, making them more vulnerable.
Human-Induced Factors: Construction activities, such as excavation and grading, can alter the natural slope of the land, increasing the risk of landslides. Deforestation removes the vegetation that helps to bind the soil together, while changes in land use, such as converting forests to agricultural land, can also destabilize slopes.

Understanding these factors is crucial for assessing landslide risk and developing effective mitigation strategies. Communities need to consider these elements when planning development and managing land use.

Protecting Your Community: Practical Steps for Landslide Mitigation

While landslides can seem inevitable, there are many steps communities can take to reduce their risk. These include comprehensive planning, engineering solutions, and community education.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1088/1755-1315/106/1/012002, Alternate LINK

Title: Analysis Of Slope Stabillity And Controlling Factor On Residual Soil Of Folded Breccia Formation

Subject: General Engineering

Journal: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science

Publisher: IOP Publishing

Authors: S Rachman, D Muslim, N Sulaksana, M Burhannuddinnur, H Pramudito

Published: 2018-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

What are the primary factors that make a slope unstable and increase the risk of landslides?

Slope instability leading to landslides arises from a combination of geological, environmental, and human-induced factors. Geologically, the presence of weak or weathered materials like clay-rich soils and fractured rocks significantly increases risk, as do geological structures such as faults and folds. Environmentally, heavy rainfall and changes in groundwater levels saturate the soil, adding weight and reducing its strength, while erosion from rivers or streams can undercut slopes. Human activities like construction (excavation and grading), deforestation (removing soil-binding vegetation), and changes in land use (converting forests to agricultural land) further destabilize slopes. Addressing these interconnected factors through careful planning and mitigation strategies is crucial for community safety.

How does rainfall contribute to landslides, and what other environmental elements play a role?

Rainfall is a major environmental factor in causing landslides because when heavy rainfall occurs, it saturates the soil, significantly increasing its weight. Saturated soil loses its strength and cohesion, making it more likely to slide. Changes in groundwater levels also contribute by altering the pressure within the soil. Erosion caused by rivers or streams is another environmental factor; the undercutting of slopes destabilizes them over time, making them more vulnerable to landslides. Therefore, areas with high rainfall, fluctuating groundwater, and active erosion are inherently at higher risk.

In what ways can construction and deforestation practices amplify the likelihood of landslides in a community?

Construction activities such as excavation and grading can significantly alter the natural slope of the land, increasing the risk of landslides by creating steeper, less stable configurations. Deforestation removes vegetation that is essential for binding soil together; without the root systems to hold the soil in place, slopes become more vulnerable to erosion and landslides. Additionally, changes in land use, such as converting forests to agricultural land, disrupt the natural balance and stability of the soil, further exacerbating the risk. Responsible land management and careful construction practices are essential to mitigating these human-induced risks.

What geological characteristics of soil and rock make a location more susceptible to landslides?

The geological characteristics of soil and rock play a crucial role in determining a location's susceptibility to landslides. Weak or weathered materials, such as clay-rich soils and fractured rocks, are inherently less stable. Clay-rich soils tend to absorb water, becoming heavier and losing strength, while fractured rocks provide pathways for water to infiltrate and weaken the overall structure. The presence of geological structures like faults or folds also creates zones of weakness within the earth, making these areas particularly prone to slope failure. Therefore, understanding the underlying geology is essential for assessing and mitigating landslide risk.

Besides understanding the causes, what practical steps can communities undertake to protect themselves from the impact of landslides?

Communities can undertake several practical steps to protect themselves from the impact of landslides, including comprehensive planning, engineering solutions, and community education. Comprehensive planning involves assessing landslide risks, implementing appropriate land-use regulations, and developing emergency response plans. Engineering solutions include constructing retaining walls, improving drainage systems, and stabilizing slopes through techniques like soil nailing. Community education involves raising awareness about landslide risks, teaching residents how to identify warning signs, and promoting responsible land management practices. By combining these strategies, communities can significantly reduce their vulnerability to landslides and protect lives and property.