Cultural-ecological integrated governance: Quantifying approaches to reducing landslide risk in traditional Tibetan villages of Western Sichuan, China

Mountainside ethnic villages face disproportionate landslide risk due to the coupled dynamics of culture and ecology, yet prevailing disaster models often oversimplify culture or treat ecological processes in isolation. We introduce a Cultural-Ecological Coupling Governance (CELG) framework that treats culture as an evolving driver rather than a static covariate and integrates 25 coupling indicators—including six newly incorporated cultural variables in risk assessment. Drawing on household surveys (n=453), GIS-based spatial risk mapping (534 plots), and structural equation modeling (SEM), we quantify the key pathways through which culture modulates landslide risk. Three principal, non-linear pathways emerge. (1) Direct disaster reduction via religious sites: the emergency utilisation rate of religious sites (A7) is negatively associated with landslide disaster risk (LDR) (β = -0.282, p < 0.001), with pagodas and watchtowers functioning as physical shelters, indicating an approx. 23.5% reduction in risk; (2) Ecological protection chain of sacred-mountain beliefs: the sacred-mountain buffer (E1) preserves vegetation cover (E6), yielding an indirect effect on LDR (β = -0.489, p < 0.001); the core 1-km buffer zone shows higher NDVI (0.426) relative to the periphery, consistent with a ~51% reduction in LDR; (3) Cultural risk paradox in traditional agriculture: adherence to traditional production customs (S7) increases arable-land expansion (E2) on steep slopes, which is positively associated with LDR (β = 0.478, p < 0.05), reflecting risks linked to slash-and-burn practices. Building on these pathways, we propose a three-tier governance plan: in the short term, religious sites are repurposed into emergency response hubs (e.g., by linking pagodas to early warning systems); in the medium term, ecological red lines are established in mountainous areas at the local level; and in the long term, disaster-related heritage education and community training are implemented. The CELG framework offers a replicable model for culture-ecology synergistic disaster reduction in mountainous heritage regions and helps reorient LDR management from engineering-led solutions toward coordinated culture-ecology strategies.