Background Over 60% of hillsides around the Mediterranean are characterised by steep clay soils, which over the past 100 years have been increasingly deforested, causing extensive shallow land-sliding and catastrophic hydrological events such as floods. The occurrence of shallow landslides is strongly related to variations in water management, soil properties, and crop management and vegetation changes. Objectives The main objective of the project was to develop a framework (the shallow landslides investigation device, or SLID) for land-use planning that could predict the occurrence of shallow landslides on Mediterranean hillsides. This framework was to include digital maps, GIS data, an experimental site and a physical model, that, when integrated, would provide an innovative tool for assessing land susceptibility to shallow landslides. Specifically, the project was to a) develop a support tool for private and public institutions to use in land-use planning; b) demonstrate the applicability of physical / mathematical-based models for environmental decision making; and c) to improve the prediction accuracy of the current physical-based models by using new experimental approaches. This in turn would hopefully enable: a) a reduction in shallow land-slides and the soil loss, cliff retreat, flooding that are its consequences b) the restoration degraded areas The SLID framework was to assess the impact of human activities on hydrological and slope stability processes. The process’ applicability was not to be limited to the sample areas, but able to be used on any soil-mantled hill slope in different areas of the EU. Results The SLID mathematical tool for land-use planning and shallow landslides prevention was developed, tested, and delivered to the public authorities. The framework tool combinded digital maps, GIS data, an experimental site and a physical model, which – once integrated - provided an innovative mechanism for assessing the spatial distribution of land susceptibility to shallow landslides. The method inherent to SLID were physical / mathematical models that can be re-calibrated in other contexts outside the study area (such as, e.g., agriculture area management, forestry, road management) provided that the model runs are supported by qualitatively and quantitatively adequate input data. The project showed that real-time forecasting of landslide triggering within clay-heavy soils is unreliable, at least for the time being. However, its capability of predicting areas inclined to shallow landsliding in the medium-long term (based on a number of different parameters among which the human impact, the structural and topographic aspects) is very good and is applicable straight away. This tool can provide a valuable support to public authorities involved in landscape planning, as it extensively demonstrated. A number of local public institutions are now actively using SLID on real case histories. These include the City of Forlì, which is running SLID to solve planning and landscape management problems, the regional basin authority of Emilia Romagna river basins and the provincial service for soil protection of Forlì, as well as an Italian Space Agency project, “Morfeo”, that replicates the SLID system (equipment installation, data collection, and model runs) for the first time in four test areas of Trento Province. In addition, the project demonstrated that physically-based models for spatial prevention can support the issue of laws being much more efficient in terms of environmental protection from hydrogeological risks. The basic concept is that inadequate workings or ploughings on clay-heavy slopes are the most frequent causes of landslides, and this can be detected and regulated through the system implemented by the SLID project. The beneficiary carried out an interesting estimation of the potential cost/benefit ratio, using a 10 ha farm as reference unit. The cost was only the expert manpower to elaborate instability maps and run the software. The benefits were given by harvest recovery (no loss of product due to landslide), by reduction of costs for environmental reclamation of damaged slopes, and by streamlining of drainage networks.