The University of Antwerp, in collaboration with the universities of Gent and Leuven and the Institute of Nature Conservation, is preparing a long term vision for nature conservation in Flanders. This project is commissioned by the Administration of Environmental, Nature, Land and Water Management. In this study we try to define the kind of nature we want by 2030, using scenario's to describe possible futures. Roughly, two extreme scenario's can be envisioned: the 'large wilderness',where nature can evolve in huge isolated areas with a minimum of anthropogenic interference, and the 'patchy landscape', where management of smaller parcels can be individually optimized with varying degrees of anthropogenic influence. The optimal scenario for nature will probably be situated in between both extremes, with a certain number of large 'core' areas, smaller specific & rare high-maintenance areas and a natural 'texture' woven in between. We also try to determine how to enforce/broaden society's 'claim for nature' by exploring possible strategic alliances with other sectors. Current water management problems (floods, desiccation, eutrophication,...) impose an urgency on governments to give more room to water. Even in agriculture there is a trend towards an increasing set-aside policy and the demand for bio-products keeps rising. The Ecopolis concept argues that, in order to make our cities more attractive, nature has to be brought into the urban areas ('the lobe city'). In our opinion, these recent developments in water management and urban and regional planning create a range of opportunities for nature development in combination with other ecosystem functions.