Biodiversity is important to the health of any ecosystem, and of particular concern in some unique and vulnerable areas. Massachusetts has designated about 69% of the Island (226,234 acres, including land, ponds, and offshore waters) as Priority Habitat for rare and endangered species of plants and animals.* Several complex ecosystems form the heart of the Island's natural environment.

Sandplains

Sandplain ecosystems are extremely rare in the world. They are a mosaic of habitats ranging from oak and pine barrens to heathland, scrub oak frost bottoms, maritime thickets, and grasslands. Sandplain grasslands are open field communities that developed only on outwash plains created at the end of the Ice Age – namely Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Cape Cod, Block Island, and Long Island. The sandplains are naturally stressed: droughty, acidic soils, subject to frequent fire, exposed to wind and salt spray over large areas. Even here, grasslands tend to be overtaken by shrub and forest growth in the absence of fires that historically kept the fields open, so this system is particularly vulnerable to the fire suppression that comes with human habitation.

Threats

Overall, biodiversity is threatened by development as well as by inappropriate management practices such as habitat fragmentation, fire suppression, introduction of non-native landscapes, and the spread of invasive species. Each particular system is more or less vulnerable to these impacts.

Protecting Minimum Viable Landscapes

Particularly important to biodiversity is the concept of Minimum Viable Landscapes - the amount of ecologically functional land and surface water needed to sustain viable populations of native species. Since these areas are essential for the plant and animal inhabitants that might disperse to other parts of the Island, they are referred to as Source Areas. The 2009 Island Plan found that the area of Minimum Viable Landscape needed for a viable ecosystem to function as a Source Area is approximately 5,000 acres in the sandplains and 3,000 acres in the moraines.

The Vineyard's Five Eco-Regions

The Island Plan identified five eco-regions on Martha's Vineyard. These are the minimum viable landscape areas which should be protected and restored to preserve the Island's biodiversity, namely the Central Sandplain, Coastal Sandplain, Western Moraine, Aquinnah, and the Eastern Moraine. The aim is to restore these areas to ecological health, including by protecting their remaining areas of native vegetation.

Useful Links

BiodiversityWorks
Founded in 2011, the Island’s ecological research organization, working with community partners to promote biodiversity conservation.

Martha's Vineyard Plant Selection Guide
Developed by the Polly Hill Arboretum in collaboration with the MVC, this online tool is intended to guide municipalities, landscape architects, landscapers, and gardeners toward plants with excellent horticultural, ecological, and adaptive characteristics that are suitable for the Vineyard. You can also specify plants native to the Island.

Plant Local MV
Launched in 2024, the Plant Local MV initiative encourages the use of native plants to protect the Island's natural environment. Native species are uniquely adapted to the Vineyard's ecosystems, supporting soil health, conserving water, and providing essential habitat for wildlife. By planting native, you can help build a more resilient landscape that can withstand the impacts of climate change and invasive species.

Plant Local Martha’s Vineyard: A Nature-Based Landscaping Guide is available here and at Vineyard libraries and nurseries.

*Per the 15^th Edition of the MA Natural Heritage Atlas (effective 8/1/2021).