Articles | Volume 9, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-445-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-445-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
31 May 2021
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 31 May 2021
| 31 May 2021
Interactions between deforestation, landscape rejuvenation, and shallow landslides in the North Tanganyika–Kivu rift region, Africa
Arthur Depicker
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
KU Leuven, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Division of Geography and Tourism, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
Gerard Govers
KU Leuven, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Division of Geography and Tourism, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
Liesbet Jacobs
KU Leuven, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Division of Geography and Tourism, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
Benjamin Campforts
CSDMS, Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
Judith Uwihirwe
University of Rwanda, Department of Soil and Water Management, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Street KK 737, Kigali, Rwanda
Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Water Management, Stevinweg 1, 2628 Delft, The Netherlands
Olivier Dewitte
Royal Museum for Central Africa, Department of Earth Sciences, Leuvensesteenweg 13, 3080 Tervuren, Belgium
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Short summary
We investigated how shallow landslide occurrence is impacted by deforestation and rifting in the North Tanganyika–Kivu rift region (Africa). We developed a new approach to calculate landslide erosion rates based on an inventory compiled in biased © Google Earth imagery. We find that deforestation increases landslide erosion by a factor of 2–8 and for a period of roughly 15 years. However, the exact impact of deforestation depends on the geomorphic context of the landscape (rejuvenated/relict).
We investigated how shallow landslide occurrence is impacted by deforestation and rifting in the...
