Val Schaefer, PhD, RPBio Retired, is a biologist and ecologist by training who has developed unique expertise in the emerging field of Urban Ecology. Curriculum Vitae for Val Schaefer (pdf).
Val is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria where since 2005 he was the Director (formerly Academic Administrator) of the Restoration of Natural Systems Diploma Program and related studies at the University of Victoria, BC, until he retired in May 2019. He is still an Adjunct Faculty in the School of Environmental Studies.
For information on the Restoration of Natural Systems Certificate and Diploma Programs and the Post-baccalaureate Professional Specialization Certificate in Ecological Restoration, visit UVic Continuing Studies for info about courses and registration. As part of the School of Environmental Studies he and his graduate students undertook research projects in ecological restoration. Val worked with graduate and undergraduate students to conduct restoration projects, the most recent of which is Restoring Urban Nature (RUN). He and his students also provided policy support to the BC Ministry of the Environment and the District of Saanich.
He is a founder and former Executive Director of the Institute of Urban Ecology at Douglas College in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada where he was a faculty member in Biology for 26 years.
Val is a leading proponent of urban ecology and urban biodiversity who has written extensively and presented internationally on these topics.
He is also an environmental educator who has conducted numerous community projects with his students promoting nature in the city and he continues to present on topics of urban biodiversity to community audiences.
Val is the lead author of Urban Biodiversity: Exploring Natural Habitat and Its Value in Cities (Captus Books, 2004) and other books and articles on urban biodiversity. His current project promotes discovering nature in the city for which he has written a book called Beyond the Pail: Discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary. The book contains numerous stories designed to highlight perspectives on the natural world as can be experienced in the city to elicit a sense of wonder for nature.
Anny Schaefer has an eclectic background in educational research, real estate, writing, photography, and more.