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Hawaii Island is also particularly vulnerable to biosecurity threats. Invasive plants, animals, insects, and pathogens pose serious risks to native ecosystems, agriculture, water systems, cultural practices, and public health. Preventing new introductions and managing existing invasive species are essential to the long-term care of `aina and require coordinated action across agencies, landowners, and communities. Accordingly, the purpose of this Element is to guide County policies and actions toward the responsible stewardship of Hawaii Island's natural and cultural resources. This Element provides direction to protect and restore the systems that sustain life, support appropriate access, reduce exposure to known hazards, and ensure that County decisions reflect a lasting commitment to malama `aina for present and future generations. Section 3-1-2. Goal. Steward Hawaii Island's land and waters through protection, responsible use, active management, and partnership, ensuring that natural systems, cultural places, public trust resources, and access for subsistence and cultural practice are sustained in ways that support community well-being, resilience, and a strong sense of place for generations to come. Article 2. Scenic and Environmental Resources. Section 3-2-1. Policies. (1) Hawai`i Island's defining landscapes require intentional protection. The County should safeguard significant natural landscapes, open spaces, scenic vistas, and shorelines that shape Hawaii Island's character, identity, and sense of place. (2) Plan development with humility toward sensitive places. Development should be planned and sited to avoid sensitive environmental areas where possible and to minimize impacts to forests, wetlands, beaches, streams, riparian corridors, and watersheds when avoidance is not feasible. (3) Native ecosystems are the foundation of environmental health. Conservation, preservation, and restoration efforts should prioritize native ecosystems and habitats, recognizing their ecological importance and cultural significance. (4) Invasive species threaten `aina and require active response. The County should actively support the prevention, control, and management of invasive species that threaten native ecosystems, agriculture, water resources, and cultural landscapes, recognizing invasive species as a primary driver of ecological degradation on Hawaii Island. (5) Scenic resources depend on scale and setting. Scenic viewplanes and prominent natural features, including mountains, coastlines, valleys, and other defining landscapes, should be M