The Big Rock Pool Challenge is an exciting new initiative from The Rock Pool Project, that combines competitive rock pooling with citizen science. Participants join monthly volunteer-led BioBlitz Battles and compete to discover species in their local rock pools. Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The ScottishPower Foundation Marine Biodiversity Fund and delivered in partnership with the Marine Biological Association (MBA), the Big Rock Pool Challenge is empowering individuals to contribute to marine conservation efforts and collect valuable marine biodiversity data. It’s a unique opportunity to have fun while making a real impact.
What is a BioBlitz Battle?
The Rock Pool Project has been working with local communities in the Southwest for over eight years, exploring and connecting people with one of the UK’s most fascinating and diverse ecosystems. Building on this success, we created the BioBlitz Battle, the friendly competitive citizen science activity for rock pool enthusiasts. A BioBlitz Battle is a timed, team-based competition where participants record species they find in local rock pools using iNaturalist, a popular biodiversity recording app. Every species found returns a score depending on its rarity as recorded in the UK iNaturalist database. This encourages participants to search for a wide variety of species, from the common to the rare, and adds an exciting competitive element.
BioBlitz Battles are more than just a fun activity. They also provide an accessible and engaging way to connect with nature, encouraging mass participation and fostering a sense of community. Open to all levels of experience, the BioBlitz Battles create an inclusive environment where participants can learn and share knowledge with fellow rock pooling enthusiasts. Each event presents new challenges, ensuring that there is always something to discover and learn. The data collected during these BioBlitz Battles is invaluable, generating verified biodiversity insights that contribute directly to scientific research and conservation efforts.
The Big Rock Pool Challenge
The Big Rock Pool Challenge is designed to engage communities in regular, volunteer-led BioBlitz Battles to document the biodiversity of coastal rock pools. Working initially by gathering feedback from our two existing communities in Falmouth and Plymouth, the Big Rock Pool Challenge is co-developing infrastructure—including a website and app—to empower volunteers to lead these monthly activities in their local rock pools.
The support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the ScottishPower Foundation Marine Biodiversity Fund will allow the Big Rock Pool Challenge to expand into new locations in the Southwest and across the UK over the next two years.
Contributing to Conservation
Each recorded species is photographed and verified before contributing to a team’s score. These rigorous standards ensure the generation of high-quality biodiversity data, which is shared with national and international platforms through pipelines developed by the MBA’s Data Archive for Seabed Species and Habitats (DASSH) team. This data helps monitor environmental stressors such as pollution and climate change, track non-native species, and assess habitat health. By providing large-scale, verified data, the project supports improved conservation strategies and better management of coastal ecosystems.
Strengthening Communities
The Big Rock Pool Challenge builds connections among participants while fostering a deeper appreciation for marine environments. The MBA Membership platform provides the space for participants to share findings and connect with marine science experts and enthusiasts, contributing to a broader conservation network.
Rock pooling also offers significant physical and mental health benefits. Outdoor activities in “blue spaces” like the ocean are known to reduce stress and anxiety, while promoting well-being. Accessible to all abilities, rock pooling provides an inclusive way to connect with nature, fostering a sense of pride and accomplishment within local communities.
Get Involved
Join the Big Rock Pool Challenge by participating in BioBlitz Battles in Falmouth or Plymouth. These events provide hands-on experience in marine conservation and plenty of fun. You can also participate in online verification sessions to confirm species sightings. Interested in organising an event or bringing the challenge to your community? Contact The Rock Pool Project at info@therockpoolproject.co.uk or visit www.therockpoolproject.co.uk for more details.