The Stung Sen river starts it’s journey in the mountainous Cambodia Thai border province of Preah Vihear. A major tributary and key contributor to the Tonlé Sap lake along with the Siem Reap, Pursat and Sangke rivers.
The importance of these feeder rivers should not be underestimated especially in the dry season when as much as 50% of the flow of the Mekong into the Vietnam Delta originates from the Tonlé Sap Lake.
The health and productivity of the lake and the region (including Vietnam) is in no small measure because of these tributaries. The reliable release of water from the surrounding forests of Prey Lang and the Cardamom mountain ranges is in question.
To the North and South of the Tonlé Sap Lake illegal logging and agri business (replacing forests with plantations) adds a dynamic to the question of when will the lake reach a tipping point from over exploitation and the fisheries collapse?
The dollar value of the freshwater fisheries have been calculated to be in the billions. Between 2-4. In human terms 70% of the Cambodian population recieve 80% of their protein intake from the fish harvested in the Tonlé Sap basin.