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As the world moves into an era in which environmental issues become increasingly relevant, the effects of industrialization and climate change can be more clearly seen. One of the most tangible ways of viewing this change is through the evolution and extinction of various species. The black-crested Hainan Gibbon is a notable example. The black crested gibbon lies in South East Asia but only in three areas: Vietnam, China, and Laos. Tracing the ancestry of the species can be difficult as it breaks off into four subspecies. The central and west Yunnan black-crested gibbon are both found within China. The Laotian black-crested gibbon resides in Laos. Finally, the Tonkin black-crested gibbon is found in North Vietnam. Due to the exponential decline of this species, they are very rare to spot. Fortunately, gibbon sightings have allowed scientists to gain an accurate understanding of the physical traits of gibbons. Males and females look nothing alike. Males are almost always …show more content…
Sixty years ago this primate could be found anywhere in the Hainan Island. They now are limited to the National Nature reserve that covers the western side of the island. Although Gibbons are legally under protection, the lack of enforcement on these laws has allowed loggers and paper plantation growers to illegally take of twenty five percent of the islands rainforests. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, in the 1950’s two thousand Gibbons could be found, but by 1993 only sixty of these apes remained as a result of illegal hinting and habitat loss. By 2003, a survey showed that fifteen of the original two thousand still remained. Some have bred since then bringing their population to a grand total of twenty-three Gibbons. Females only breed one time every two to three years making it a very long and slow process for their population to further