Local communities rely heavily on wild capture fisheries for their staple food source along with rice, and also as a means of generating extra income. The river's fertile banks are vital for growing food. During the monsoon season the river floods its banks depositing fertile alluvial silt in the surrounding countryside. The villagers capitalise on this to cultivate gardens, and river water is channeled to irrigate paddies and fields. The river is the main source of water for household needs - drinking, washing, rinsing clothes and bathing livestock.
Boats are the main means of transport.
The Mekong river basin is also an area of exceptional beauty and environmental importance. Extensive rapids and large areas of flooded forest predominate around Stung Treng. About a thousand species of fish living in the river require diverse habitats such as these to ensure their breeding, feeding and migratory cycles are able to be maintained. Other wildlife abounds in the Mekong basin, including the rare and endangered Irrawaddy dolphin. Any change to this river system will have major consequences for both people and the environment.