TXST doctoral student awarded international research grants to protect the world’s rarest heron

Pema Khandu, a fourth-year doctoral candidate in aquatic resources and integrative biology at Texas State University, has received two international research awards — the Rufford Booster Grant from The Rufford Foundation and the WILDLABS Awards Grant from WILDLABS — to advance his work conserving the critically endangered white-bellied heron in Bhutan.

The Rufford Booster Grant provides Khandu with £11,900 and is one of the funding stages under the Rufford Small Grants, which supports field-based conservation projects. It allows Khandu to implement targeted strategies to monitor, protect, and restore populations of the critically endangered white-bellied heron.

The WILDLABS Awards Grant, which provides $10,000, offers resources and training to advance conservation technology, helping researchers like Khandu develop practical tools for wildlife monitoring and management. Together, these awards provide Khandu with both financial and technical support, enabling him to advance Bhutan’s long-term efforts to conserve the world’s rarest heron.

The grants will also allow Khandu to collaborate with conservation practitioners, local stakeholders, and citizen scientists. He noted that building partnerships is essential to translating his findings into lasting conservation impact.

“Ultimately, this support will enhance my capacity as a researcher, enabling me to apply cutting-edge methods to biodiversity conservation and contribute to the long-term survival of species in fragile ecosystems,” he said.

From Bhutan to TXST

Growing up in Bhutan, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and a carbon-negative country, Khandu was surrounded by nature. His cultural roots, shaped by Buddhist philosophy and reverence for the environment, instilled a deep sense of responsibility to protect wildlife.

“I vividly recall experiences that deepened my connection to nature: getting lost in the jungle during a mushroom foray as a child, being introduced to Robinson Crusoe by my vice principal when I was in fifth grade, and more recently reading American Wolf on my advisor’s (Clay Green, Ph.D.) recommendation,” he said. “These experiences, combined with visiting national parks and taking courses at TXST, solidified my commitment to conservation biology and wildlife ecology.”

Khandu is currently a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Heron Specialist Group. Before coming to TXST, he taught high school biology and environmental science in Bhutan. He joined Green’s Avian Ecology Lab in 2022 to pursue his Ph.D.

Green, who also serves as Khandu’s dissertation chair, said the new funding is critical to one part of his research: using environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques to determine whether the critically endangered white-bellied heron can be detected in regions of Bhutan where it has not yet been documented.

“Through eDNA, Pema can collect water samples from the environment and test them for traces of heron DNA,” Green said. “If DNA is detected, it signals that field researchers should focus new surveys in those areas.”

With fewer than 60 white-bellied heron left in the wild, locating undiscovered populations is vital. Knowing where the birds may exist but have not yet been observed could play a key role in saving the species from extinction.

Advice for future researchers

Khandu admitted that applying for competitive grants was initially intimidating. But he emphasized that persistence and attention to detail made the difference.

“Applying for these two grants was initially daunting, from identifying the appropriate funding agencies to drafting proposals in line with their specific formats and requirements, but each stage proved to be a valuable learning experience,” he said. “I recommend that future applicants aim for clarity in their applications by following the grantors’ guidelines, be prepared for follow-up communication, and view the process as an opportunity to clarify and strengthen their research ideas.”

For Khandu, the mission behind the applications remains clear: protecting a species on the edge of extinction.

“The white-bellied heron is racing against time,” he said. “We need collaboration, science, and community action to ensure it survives for generations to come.”