In the Mekong context, the cultural issue concerns the permanent inundation of the river bank stretches where ceremonies used to take place. The loss of spiritually and culturally significant locations (spirit forests, cultural sites) is something considered in an EIA of infrastructure projects, but the extent to which this has affected decision making is not known. In the Lancang River (the Upper Mekong Basin), one of the mitigation actions in relation to hydropower developments was the relocation of ancient trees, an indication of the value attached to them.