Landslide risk management in Italy: practices, advances, and future directions

Landslides are globally pervasive natural hazards posing growing risks under intensifying climate and land-use pressures. Italy, the most landslide-prone country in Europe, has achieved substantial progress in landslide hazard identification, mapping, modelling, forecasting, and risk reduction. Yet, critical gaps remain in inventory completeness and representativeness, medium- to long-term forecasting, monitoring coverage, vulnerability assessment, governance, and public awareness. Drawing on insights from a 2025 workshop organized by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, this paper synthesizes current knowledge, practice, and technological capacity for landslide risk management in Italy, identifies persistent challenges, and outlines key priorities for scientific, technical, institutional, and organizational progress toward more effective risk management. We call for a coordinated strategy that integrates improved inventories, real-time monitoring, dynamic modelling, and data accessibility, supported by institutional reform and cultural change. While grounded in the Italian context, the findings and recommendations are broadly applicable to other landslide-prone countries and regions worldwide.