The Rock Pool Project

What The Rock Pool Project does

The Rock Pool Project, legally registered as People Power Science Community Interest Company (CIC), is a UK-based not-for-profit founded in 2018 in Cornwall that runs a national marine citizen science programme built around free, gamified coastal biodiversity events. Its flagship initiative, the Big Rock Pool Challenge launched in October 2024, combines monthly BioBlitz Battles at 9–10 UK hub locations (from Northumberland to Falmouth) with annual National BioBlitz and Community BioBlitz Festival events; participants record species using iNaturalist, with observations verified and contributed to the Marine Biological Association's DASSH national data archive. Supporting products include the BioBlitz Battle web app for event registration, team formation, and live leaderboard scoring; the Mobile Rock Pool Experience; expert-led Rock Pool Safaris; and educational resources such as the Rock Pooling Guide and Species Facts database. Since inception the organization has recorded 41,717 wildlife observations spanning 1,333 species across 665 events attended by 22,928 people, with a volunteer network exceeding 100 individuals. Revenue is non-dilutive and drawn primarily from grants (National Lottery Heritage Fund, ScottishPower Foundation, Duke of Cornwall's Marine Environment Fund), supplemented by tiered corporate partnerships, individual donations, and bespoke corporate engagement experiences, while all public events remain free to participants; the organization is currently transitioning to a registered charity, The Rock Pool Trust.

Name

The Rock Pool Project

Legal name

People Power Science Community Interest Company (CIC)

Website

https://therockpoolproject.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Rock Pool Project is a UK non-profit (CIC) founded in 2018 that runs free, gamified marine citizen science events along the coast, using the BioBlitz Battle app and iNaturalist to record biodiversity data, serving the general public, schools, and health-programme partners across 9–10 UK hubs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Conservation Citizen Science

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marine & Coastal Ecotourism (Diving, Snorkeling, Whale Watching) (THAAAAAJ)

Keywords

• Marine citizen science
• Biodiversity monitoring
• Coastal conservation
• Community events
• Species recording

Headquarters

HQ city

Plymouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Primary funding from major grant providers including The National Lottery Heritage Fund and ScottishPower Foundation to support the Big Rock Pool Challenge project and UK-wide hub expansion.
2. Corporate Partnerships: National Partnership, Local Hub Partnership, and Event Partnership tiers for businesses to support marine conservation work with brand visibility benefits.
3. Individual Donations: Direct donations via PayPal accepting various amounts (£20, £50, £100 or custom) to support continued operations and growth.
4. Corporate Engagement Experiences: Bespoke expert-led team experiences including guided BioBlitz sessions, expert talks, and workshops with limited availability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Rock Pool Project runs free monthly BioBlitz Battle events at coastal hubs across the UK, engaging the general public in marine citizen science. Participants explore rock pools and record species using the iNaturalist app, contributing biodiversity data that is processed through DASSH pipelines at the Marine Biological Association for national and international research. The flagship Big Rock Pool Challenge initiative combines gamified competitive events with verified scientific data collection across 10 UK locations.

Product overview

The Rock Pool Project operates a unified citizen science platform centred on the Big Rock Pool Challenge initiative, combining community events with marine conservation. The core product is the BioBlitz Battle gamification system, delivered through a web app that integrates with iNaturalist for species recording and verification. Supporting offerings include the annual National BioBlitz and Community BioBlitz Festival events, Mobile Rock Pool experiences, guided Rock Pool Safaris, educational resources including the Rock Pooling Guide and Species Facts database, and local hub-based monthly BioBlitz Battles across 10 UK locations. The project is delivered in partnership with the Marine Biological Association and funded by The ScottishPower Foundation and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Big Rock Pool Challenge: The flagship community-driven initiative combining citizen science with coastal exploration to protect and celebrate marine biodiversity through monthly BioBlitz Battles.
• BioBlitz Battle

Products and services

• BioBlitz Battle Web App A web-based application that enables communities to participate in competitive wildlife discovery events. Participants register, form teams, record species through iNaturalist, and compete on real-time leaderboards based on species rarity scoring. Accessible at bioblitz.therockpoolproject.co.uk.
• Big Rock Pool Challenge The flagship community-driven initiative combining citizen science with coastal exploration to protect and celebrate marine biodiversity. Features monthly free BioBlitz Battles at 10 UK locations for participants of all ages and backgrounds.
• National BioBlitz An annual week-long nationwide citizen science event where participants across the UK explore local rocky shores, record species using iNaturalist, and contribute to a national picture of marine biodiversity with a focus on tracking non-native invasive species.
• Community BioBlitz Festival An annual 24-hour coastal biodiversity celebration featuring diverse activities including rock pooling, snorkelling, butterfly walks, birdwatching, moth trapping, expert talks, and film screenings, open to individuals, families, and nature groups.
• Mobile Rock Pool Experience A portable rock pool exhibit that brings marine wildlife to events, allowing people of all ages and abilities to observe and learn about rock pool creatures without navigating uneven terrain, available for hire by schools, care homes, and event organisers.
• Rock Pool Safari Expert-guided rock pooling adventures offering engaging and educational experiences for participants to discover marine life along the coastline, available as bespoke bookings for groups and organisations.
• Pilot Events

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of Blue Recovery Project participants reported positive impact on mental health
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, data partner, programme partner, health partner, content partner, local venue, activity provider and platform partner.

• Marine Biological Association (MBA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 October 2024Primary strategic partner for The Big Rock Pool Challenge. MBA leads on biodiversity data management, conservation data-sharing, and membership engagement. Their DASSH team develops data pipelines for national and international data-sharing platforms.
• Natural Englanddata partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on tracking the spread of non-native species and monitoring changes in habitat health across UK coastal areas.
• Data Archive for Seabed Species and Habitats (DASSH)data partnerTechnology or IntegrationDeveloping data pipelines to ensure project-generated biodiversity data is delivered to national and international data-sharing platforms in the best format possible.
• Active Cornwall - Time 2 Move Holiday Programmeprogramme partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivering rock pooling events for children aged 5-16 during school holidays, providing engaging marine biology experiences.
• Healthy Cornwallhealth partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for tailored BioBlitz Battle events aimed at keeping local families healthy through outdoor activity and nature connection.
• Marine Conservation Societycontent partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on video introduction to rock pooling and referenced their rock pooling guide for best practices.
• Porthpean Outdoor Centrelocal venueVenue PartnerHost venue for Community BioBlitz Festival, providing facilities for activities including paddleboarding, snorkelling, and outdoor games.
• Wild Wonder & Wisdom CICactivity providerActivity PartnerLeading guided snorkel safaris and 5K nature walks during Community BioBlitz Festival events.
• Buglifeactivity providerActivity PartnerLeading bug hunt activities during Community BioBlitz Festival to discover insects and minibeasts.
• Cornwall Butterfly Conservationactivity providerActivity PartnerLeading guided butterfly walks during Community BioBlitz Festival events.
• Connect with Nature (Rob Nicholls and Rowena Castillo-Nicholls)activity providerActivity PartnerLeading birdwatching sessions on Porthpean Beach during Community BioBlitz Festival.
• iNaturalistplatform partnerTechnology or IntegrationWildlife recording platform used for all citizen science observations. Participants submit photos through iNaturalist which are verified by the community and shared with researchers.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Marine Conservation Society: UK-based marine conservation charity focused on ocean health, sustainable seafood, and beach cleanups; already a content collaborator with The Rock Pool Project, making it the closest direct peer in mission, audience (UK coastal communities), and citizen engagement model.
• Sea Watch Foundation: UK cetacean-focused marine charity running volunteer sighting schemes and citizen science along the British coast; directly comparable in citizen science methodology, volunteer network structure, and data contribution to marine research, but focused on whales/dolphins rather than intertidal species.
• Shark Trust: UK-based shark and ray conservation charity using volunteer divers, citizen scientists, and community events; comparable as a small UK marine NGO with volunteer-powered species monitoring and public engagement events.

Broad incumbents

• The Wildlife Trusts: UK umbrella of 46 local wildlife trusts running nature reserves, events, and citizen science across terrestrial and marine habitats; a much larger incumbent with overlapping volunteer-driven, free community event and species recording activity, but operating across all ecosystems rather than specialising in rock pooling.
• Earthwatch Institute: Global environmental NGO running citizen science field expeditions and corporate engagement experiences; comparable in combining citizen science data collection with paid corporate team-building events (similar to Rock Pool Project's 'Corporate Engagement Experiences').

Regional players

• Surfers Against Sewage: UK marine conservation charity mobilizing coastal communities around water quality, plastics, and beach cleans; comparable UK audience and community-event model, but advocacy/lobbying-led rather than species-data-led.
• British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR): UK marine charity training volunteer marine mammal medics and running public engagement around marine wildlife; comparable in volunteer-led UK marine education and community events, but focused on rescue rather than biodiversity data.

Emerging players

• Earth Trust: UK-based environmental charity operating nature reserves and citizen science programs around biodiversity monitoring; comparable in combining free community events, volunteer hubs, and biodiversity data capture, though with a broader terrestrial/landscape focus.
• Coastwatch: European coastal citizen science network surveying shoreline habitats and pollution; comparable in volunteer-driven coastal biodiversity and habitat monitoring methodology, though pan-European in scope rather than UK-focused.

Others

• iNaturalist: Global citizen science platform that powers all of The Rock Pool Project's species recording and verification; included as the enabling technology/infrastructure peer rather than a direct competitor, but its open community also hosts similar bioblitz-style projects worldwide.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyfbmi8samjaqSRE8z5bmPA/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/therockpoolproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-rock-pool-project/posts/?feedView=all
• Instagraminstagram.com/therockpoolproject

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Rock Pool Project