The Marine Biological Association (MBA) and longstanding partner The Rock Pool Project (RPP) are delighted to announce the award of Year 3 funding from the ScottishPower Foundation to continue delivering and expanding the Big Rock Pool Challenge, a nationally significant marine citizen science programme that is helping communities connect with the coast while generating valuable evidence for marine research and conservation.
Building on the success of the programme to date, the new funding will enable the partnership to further develop opportunities for public participation in marine science, support volunteer engagement through the UK wide network of hubs, and expand the collection of high-quality biodiversity observations from intertidal habitats around the UK coastline.
The Big Rock Pool Challenge invites people of all ages and backgrounds to explore local shorelines, record species found in rock pools, and contribute observations to national biodiversity datasets. By combining public participation with robust scientific methodologies, the initiative helps increase understanding of the distribution and abundance of marine species while fostering a greater appreciation of the marine environment.
The continued support from ScottishPower Foundation reflects the growing recognition of citizen science as an important component of environmental monitoring. Data collected by volunteer participants can help identify changes in species distributions, improve understanding of ecosystem health, and complement traditional scientific surveys by increasing the geographic and temporal coverage of observations.
Dan Lear, Head of Data & Information at the Marine Biological Association, said:
“We are extremely grateful to ScottishPower Foundation for its continued support of the Big Rock Pool Challenge. This funding allows us to build on a highly successful partnership with the Rock Pool Project and further demonstrate the value of citizen science in supporting marine research. Every observation submitted from the hubs contributes to our collective understanding of marine species and habitats, helping to generate evidence that can inform conservation, management and future scientific investigation. Just as importantly, the project inspires people to engage directly with the marine environment and become active contributors to its protection.”
Dr Ben Holt, CEO and Co-founder of The Rock Pool Project, said:
“The ScottishPower Foundation’s support for the Big Rock Pool Challenge has been an absolute game changer, enabling us to establish thriving communities of volunteer marine wildlife enthusiasts around the UK. We are very grateful for the Foundation’s continued support and delighted by the opportunities this new funding brings. It will allow us to expand our network to 15 new locations, connecting thousands more people with their local marine environment while building a vital biodiversity dataset to help us understand how our marine wildlife is responding to a rapidly changing world.”
The continued collaboration between the Marine Biological Association and the Rock Pool Project demonstrates the power of partnership in delivering high-quality citizen science at scale. Together, the organisations are helping to ensure that public participation makes an increasingly important contribution to the evidence needed for effective marine management and conservation.
Melanie Hill, Executive Officer and Trustee at the ScottishPower Foundation, said:
“At the ScottishPower Foundation, we’re passionate about supporting projects that make a meaningful difference to the environment whilst also inspiring people and local communities to play an active role in creating a more sustainable future. The Big Rock Pool Challenge is an example of this in action, bringing people together to discover, understand and protect the marine environments they have locally.
“We’re incredibly proud to continue supporting the Marine Biological Association and the Rock Pool Project as they build on the success of this initiative. By making marine science accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds, the project is not only generating strong data to support research and conservation but also nurturing a deeper connection with our natural world.”
The Rock Pool Project is currently seeking new coastal locations for its community hubs next year. If you’re interested in starting a new hub and trialling a pilot event, please get in touch with the team at info@therockpoolproject.co.uk for more information.
