Abstract: In floodplains of large rivers, more than eighty percent of the potentially inundated areas are developed for agricultural use and settlement purposes by diking and cultivation measures. The fertile soils of the polders represent ten percent of the agricultural lands in Germany. At its time, this agrarian potential justified the high societal input for diking, flood diversion, and drainage. The 80 000 hm2 large Oderbruch polder is deemed an example of prospering agrarian regions since 300 years ago and today it is part of the national cultural heritage. Numerous levee breaches and flood damages brought about increased efforts on levee construction and drainage. With growing technical facilities, drainage and the utilization of remaining wetland sites became the favoured target towards the development of highly productive manmade landscapes. The cost for flood control and drainage were stateborne for a long period. The political changes and the transition to market economy raised problems and conflicts for the polder utilization in addition to the new structural conditions: (1)who will bear the cost for drainage and pumping stations?(2)how can the urgently required strengthening of levees be realized? and (3)how can the critical ecological situation be improved? The traditional use of polder is to be doubted strictly. Being brought to discussion since 1991, the concept of Oderuch 2010 with its main aspects as:(1)wetland belts of 500 m in width in the vicinity of levees,(2)reconnection of former branches of the Oder river and ecological corridors along main waters,(3)raise of too deep ground water level and partial abandonment of drainage systems, and (4)strengthening of levees for improved flood safety provoked controversies. After the extreme summer flood of 1997 with its almostcatastrophe and the manifold levee breaches in the Ziltendorfer Niederung and in Poland, a fast strengthening of levees was to be done above all. At the same time, there were and, once more enhanced by the Elbe flood of 2002, still are polemics about the future of the Oder region, e. g. construction of levees and utilization of polders stand against setback of levees as well as creation of retention areas and seminatural floodplains. Meanwhile, the levees along the Oder river are reconstructed. Hydraulic proofs confirmed the levee alignment. The reconnection of former Oder branches is presently realized. As a populated polder, the Oderbruch is not at disposal for being flooded. A possible storage of flood water for the benefit of the city of Frankfurt and the Oderbruch is investigated for polders located further upstream. In this article, different concepts for development strategies will be discussed which may contribute to a harmonized combination of individual interests in continuing previous polder use and of the targets towards an improvement of the overall ecological situation and towards the priorities related to flood prevention for selected floodplain areas. This discussion will be based on the assumption that, according to altered socially acceptable funding activities for sustainable development of floodplains, basically new utilisation strategies for polder are to be followed during the period of 2010 to 2030.

Key words: polders, multifunctional use, sustainable development