Pichan M Salim, a forest-based field parataxonomist from Kerala, has built an international reputation for documenting Western Ghats biodiversity, publishing extensively with over 53 scientific papers and describing 23 new plant species along with more than 10 new geographical records.

His work underscores the urgency of documenting unnamed or undocumented species to prevent their unnoticed disappearance.

Salim maintains a living gene bank at his homestead in Athimoola, Wayanad, housing 614 plant varieties, including wild relatives and rare species, as part of a holistic conservation approach.

He established a living repository of native plant genetics at his Athimoola home, featuring in-situ and ex-situ collections totaling 614 varieties, including endangered species like Bulbophyllum aureum and Medinilla malabarica.

Two plant species have been named in his honor—Seidenfadeniella salimii (now Cleisostomopsis salimii) and Impatiens salimii—recognizing his fieldwork and taxonomic contributions.

Salim received the National Plant Genome Saviour Award for 2020-21, presented by the President of India in 2023, along with other honors such as the Kerala State Biodiversity Board Award and the Vanamithra Award.

A notable recent achievement is the rediscovery of Campbellia aurantiaca in Thollayiram, Wayanad after about 175 years, with findings published in the Kew Bulletin in 2025.

In August 2025, he helped describe Dioscorea balakrishnanii, a new native tuber species from the southern Western Ghats, named to acknowledge biodiversity documentation efforts.

Salim embodies the idea that the forest is his university and plants his textbooks, highlighting a non-traditional path with limited formal higher education.

Since 1997, Salim has trained through MSSRF, identifying over 2,000 plant names and contributing to discoveries, records, publications, and conservation of native genetic diversity.

He began his taxonomy career in MSSRF’s parataxonomy training program in 1997, joined MSSRF in 1998, and has since compiled field data across Kerala.

Overall, Salim’s work demonstrates how field knowledge and local expertise can drive significant scientific discoveries, conservation outcomes, and recognition within botany.