Based on study of the spatial-temporal characteristics of polder numbers and arable land resources in Dongting Lake area, this paper provides an analysis of the formation, changing trend and current utilization of polder land. The paper also highlights the process of ecological restoration and economic development under the instruction of"destroying dykes and changing reclaimed paddies into lake areas". A number of problems are discussed, including the contradiction between population growth and arable land decline, and land pollution and land degradation. Six management measures for the sustainable utilization of polder land in the region are put forward. Those are (1)to adjust agricultural distribution and planting regimes to ensure optimal land utilization system under changing land resource characteristics and maintained sustainability; (2) to adopt disaster-mitigating agriculture aligned with the ecological environmental conditions of polders; (3) to construct water facilities in line with national projects for agricultural environment protection; (4) to strengthen the overall planning and management of agricultural land utilization; (5) to strengthen the awareness of environmental protection and arable land resources quality enhancement; (6) to actively popularize the water-conservation irrigation techniques.