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Twenty-five years ago, a surprising process of giving back reclaimed land to the sea called “de-polderization” arose in Western Europe. In spite of its limited expansion, this process brings up fundamental questions concerning nature protection, economical interests, landscape and sea defense, because it developed after the reclamation of 15 000 km2 of tidal marshes since the 11th century. This paper lays emphasis on the different stakes involved, on the actors implied in this much debated policy and on the engendered social reactions. It ends with a classification distinguishing four types of de-polderization according to their objectives, their actors and their location.