Dragonflies are attractive and graceful insects, and are also important as indicators, giving a measure for the quality of water biotopes. In the Netherlands, 70 species of dragonfly have been identified. Surveys have shown that since the early 90s there is a slight improvement in the numbers of dragonflies. Dutch Butterfly Conservation will now participate in future monitoring programmes and nature management schemes. The author briefly describes the main dragonfly species in the Netherlands and their habitats.