The children of today have plenty of toys to play with in comparison with some decades ago. Instead of playing outside, they watch television. Recent research in the UK has revealed that primary schoolchildren know more about the different ‘species’ of Pokémon than about plants and animals. Nature is something they see on television, preferably in programs featuring dangerous and spectacular animals. The aim of this study was to find out what young people think biodiversity or nature will mean to their lives in about twenty years time. One of the goals of nature policy is to bring nature closer to people. This study looked at teenagers as a possible target group of government policy. It has thrown up some pointers for meeting young people’s needs and raising their appreciation and understanding of nature and biodiversity. It uncovered a wider gap between young people and nature than the researchers had expected, but also sparked of a desire to know more, and not only among the schoolchildren. This study attracted attention from the media and the subject was discussed on meetings about nature and environmental education. Although the research was conducted in the Netherlands, the picture obtained may also apply to at least the more urbanised regions of Europe where the cultural, economic and social climates are broadly similar ; De kinderen van vandaag hebben een overdaad aan speelgoed in vergelijking met enkele decennia geleden. Ze spelen niet meer buiten spelen, maar kijken televisie. Recent onderzoek uit Groot-Brittannië heeft aangetoond dat schoolkinderen meer weten over de verschillende ‘rassen’ Pokémon, dan over planten en dieren. Natuur is iets dat ze kennen van tv, bij voorkeur van programma’s over gevaarlijke en spectaculaire dieren. Het doel van dit onderzoek was inzicht krijgen in de rol die jonge mensen toedichten aan biodiversiteit en natuur in hun leven over ongeveer twintig jaar. Een van de doelen van natuurbeleid is de natuur dichter bij de mens te brengen. Deze studie heeft pubers bekeken als een ...