Natuurbeleid als strijdpunt: Veranderende politiek-maatschappelijke context en de natuurverkenning

It is important that a future study like the Nature Outlook of PBL acknowledges developments in politics and society. These form the embedding of the Outlook. Therefore it is instrumental to study the developments that have taken place before and during the execution of the Nature Oudook and to establish the way in which they influence its reception and use. Since the cabinet Rutte got into office, the politicization of nature policy in the Netherlands has become manifest. In this article a sketch of the situation is presented and some possible explanations for this politicization are discussed. Next the choices made in the development process of the Nature Outlook are presented. Discussions about the aims of nature policy played an important role in that respect. Finally the question whether this Outlook provides an adequate response to the politicized situation, will be answered.