The Shillim valley is far removed from the dissonance of city life. Nuzzled in a cocooned valley of the Western Ghats, it securely lies in the forested carpet of the wild. However, even amidst this secure setting, the area is also subject to deforestation, slash and burn activities, cattle grazing and random commercial developments. Some of its mountain slopes have been excessively damaged, and while the Western Ghats region receives the full vigour of the southwest monsoons, it results in severe soil erosion.