The paper reviews the basic possibilities and potential of flood prevention protection and mitigation by increasing the retention capacity of the landscape with regard to environmental protection, physical planning, land use and urban development. It is stressed, that mitigation and non-structural measures tend to be potentially efficient and sustainable solutions to flood-related problems. Their application should be enhanced, but it must be kept in mind that their potentially positive effects are highly variable, site dependent and limited to small and medium floods. Integrated approaches therefore also need to include structural measures, which will remain important elements of flood protection. These should primarily focus on the protection of human health and safety, and property without scarifying requirements of nature conservation and landscape management.