Indicators of riverbank Erosion vulnerability assessment: A systematic literature review for future research

Abstract

Despite the devastating nature of riverbank erosion, existing studies hardly address the complex nature of vulnerability affecting the livelihoods of erosion-prone residents. Hence, the indicators of riverbank erosion vulnerability need to be reviewed and aggregated within a specified framework to assess the vulnerability. This research performed a comprehensive literature review of the indicators of riverbank erosion vulnerability to address this knowledge gap. From 2000 to 2022, 22 journal articles were found using the PRISMA protocol. The review revealed that most studies were conducted in South Asia (82%), such as Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, and on local scales (68%), such as sub-districts, villages, unions etc. The analysis also highlighted the IPCC vulnerability framework is the most extensively used for riverbank erosion. The study identified a total of 28 vulnerability indicators of riverbank erosion. The findings reveal that there are substantial geographical and conceptual gaps in the assessment of riverbank erosion vulnerability.

Keywords

• Vulnerability
• Vulnerability indicators
• Vulnerability assessment
• Riverbank Erosion
• Systematic review