The Irrawaddy Dolphins play a major role in tourism, and this poses as the greatest challenge against conservation efforts. There was a prominent conflict of interest between conservation of the Irrawaddy Dolphins and the economic growth of Mekong. Previously, tourists were allowed to go on small rowboats when the current was not too strong, to watch the dolphins for a small fee. Due to tourism development, the small rowboats were upgraded to larger paddleboats, to provide comfort for the tourists while viewing the dolphins, and also to accommodate for dolphin-watching all year round. The motor sounds from the paddleboat serve as a form of noise pollution and habitat destruction to the Irrawaddy Dolphins. From 8, the number of boats on the river increased to 20 over the years as the tourism economy develops. Research has been done on the impacts of dolphin-watching, and it has been proven that there are detrimental effects on the Irrawaddy Dolphins.

Another conflict of interest is with regards to the ban on gillnet fishing. While it is designed to remove the threat of by-catch on the dolphins, this arrangement is not sustainable from both a social and economic perspective because it has the potential to negatively affect thousands of villagers, in terms of jobs and income, who live along the Mekong River. A wrong move made by the Cambodian Government in 2005 was the law enforcement against the villagers’ knowledge, with no alternative livelihoods provided. This inevitably alienated the local communities and caused their refusal to cooperate. Fortunately, the situation was rectified in the next few years.