Population landslide vulnerability evaluation: the case of the indigenous population of Pahuatlán-Puebla, Mexico.

Analysis of landslide vulnerability is an important issue for landslide risk assessment. We present the results of the application of the Spatial Approach to Vulnerability Assessment (SAVE) for the estimation of the vulnerability in the municipality of Pahuatlán, Mexico. The indigenous population represents the half of the total population. A geomorphological landslide inventory was structured for a 55 km2 study area partitioned in 259 slope units. The susceptibility analysis was made using the landslide inventory data and other thematic variables on a Logistic Regression Combination Model to obtain a final estimation of susceptibility for each slope unit. The susceptibility value was combined with data of population -spatial and temporal distribution- to obtain the population exposure, sensitivity and lack of resilience. Indicators were included on SAVE model in order to produce a vulnerability value. The result shows that 57.7 % of the indigenous inhabitants live in very high vulnerability zones.