So Youre Considering Bankruptcy ... Now What

So Youre Considering Bankruptcy ... Now What So Youre Considering Bankruptcy Now What? So Youre Considering Bankruptcy Now What?Filing for bankruptcy isnt fun, but it can also mean a fresh start. People who are drowning in debt and unable to make their payments should strongly consider it.Your financial life is bound to be full of ups and downs. One day you’ll be celebrating a raise with a lovely dinner at a fancy restaurant only to have your car break down on the way home. The cost of the repairs wipes out the raise and then some, and now you’re worse off than when you started.Sometimes you end up with multiple downturns in a row. And if those downturns don’t have any upturns in between them, well, this is how people end up relying on predatory no credit check loans and short-term bad credit loans (like title loans, payday loans, and cash advances) to make ends meetâ€"but only succeed in driving themselves even further into debt.As your debt grows, eventually it will get so big that you can no longer afford your payments. Forget paying that personal loan off ah ead of schedule, you cant pay it off  on-schedule! Once your money situation gets bad enough,  youll find yourself without many options.One of your few remaining options, however, could be filing for bankruptcy.And while bankruptcy sounds scary, the option exists to help you. So when should you consider bankruptcy? And what comes next you if you do decide to declare it?What is bankruptcy?Before we get into whether you should consider declaring bankruptcy, let’s just make sure we understand what it is. We’ll only address personal bankruptcy in this article, of which there are two primary kinds.The two main types of personal bankruptcy are Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Chapter 7 allows you to discharge almost all of your debts, but you’ll have to pass a means test first to show your income is too low to actually pay those debts. You’ll also have to hand over whatever liquid assets you have to pay off as much debt as possible before it’s discharged.If your means are too great to pass the means test, you could still declare Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Chapter 13 bankruptcy will require you to submit a payment plan to a bankruptcy court, and if it’s approved, you’ll be able to pay off those debts over the next three to five years.So how do you know if it’s time for you to declare bankruptcy?How to know it’s time to declare bankruptcy.Declaring bankruptcy isn’t as easy as the television would have you believe. Every situation is different, so it’s important to examine whether bankruptcy is the best option in your personal situation. Ideally, you’ll want to consult a bankruptcy attorney to give you guidance.“In general, bankruptcy is a legal action in federal court meant to protect the consumer from his or her creditors,” explained Todd Christensen, education manager for  Money Fit by DRS, Inc. (@MoneyFitbyDRS). “Most commonly, filers are trying to protect their home from foreclosure, but they may also be attempting to protect their vehicle (whic h is often a bad financial move) and, more importantly, their wages from garnishment.“If a consumer cannot pay their bills on their own, cannot negotiate better repayment terms with their creditors, and cannot work out a debt management plan with a nonprofit credit counseling agency (like those found at FCAA.org), bankruptcy is usually the nextâ€"and lastâ€"step.”If you do think bankruptcy could be right for you, there are a few steps you’ll have to go through.“Meet with a credit counseling agency approved by the US Department of Justice’s Executive Office of the US Trustee to complete a budget briefing and obtain the required certificate of credit counseling,” outlined Christensen. “The thought back in 2005 when Congress added this and other requirements to the bankruptcy filing process was that meeting with a credit counselor might hopefully steer some consumers away from bankruptcy if it was not necessary, and have them instead pay off 100 percent of their debts thr ough a credit counselor.“If bankruptcy is still the most logical step, the consumer either meets with a bankruptcy attorney or completes the court paperwork (each district court has its own fees required to pay with the petition, as well as its own fee waiver policies).“After the case is filed, the consumer must attend the 341 meeting of the creditors. Before the case is discharged and the consumer is relieved of his or her responsibility to pay the debts, he or she must complete a 2-hour debtor education course approved by the same US Department of Justice office.”And then you’ll have declared bankruptcy.So now what?You’ve successfully declared bankruptcy. What comes next?Leslie H. Tayne Esq. (@LeslieHTayneEsq), Founder and Head Attorney at  Tayne Law Group  (@taynelawgroup), offered some actions to take and suggestions for living that   post-bankruptcy life:“Bankruptcy stays on your credit report for up to 10 years, which could make getting new credit difficult for tha t period of time. Your credit score will definitely take a hit from filing bankruptcy, but how much it drops will depend on your individual situation. If you had good credit before filing, bankruptcy will likely have a more profound impact on your credit than if you had poor credit. It will take time for your credit to recover from bankruptcy. You may consider opening a secured credit card to start rebuilding.“If you have accounts discharged during bankruptcy, they will now have a zero balance but will show up as discharged on your credit report, which may be frowned upon by lenders and creditors. However, ‘discharged’ will likely be looked upon more favorably than an account that’s marked as unpaid or past due.“After you’ve filed for bankruptcy, you’ll need to get back on track and adjust to your new financial situation. The first step will be to sit down and rewrite your budget. Your budget may have been the root of the problem that led to bankruptcy in the first pla ce, so you’ll want to think critically and carefully when reviewing it. Take time to identify where the issues may have been and what you may be able to do to improve in those areas now that you have a chance for a fresh start.“Because you may have had trouble managing your finances previously, you may want to enlist some help after bankruptcy from a financial attorney or a financial expert to help you avoid falling back into the same habits.”You still have rights.Aside from the more general advice, there’s also a specific law you may want to familiarize yourself with.“Much of my practice consists of suing creditors and debt collectors for violating bankruptcy discharge orders or consumer protection laws, including the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and state consumer collection practices laws,” explained  consumer protection attorney  Donald E. Petersen.“Consumers who have dischar ged a debt in bankruptcy and surrendered any collateral securing the debt should not be receiving calls or letters from the creditor (or debt collector) about the discharged accounts.“The TCPA requires that companies using an Automated Telephone Dialing System (ATDS) or prerecorded or artificial voice when calling a cell phone must have the cell phone users prior express consent. Consumers who file bankruptcy typically provided the caller (or the callers principal or predecessor in interest) express consent by furnishing their cell phone number to the creditor.“If a creditor (or debt collector) continues to call about a debt that the consumer discharged, the consumer should tell them ‘stop calling me’ rather than ‘call my bankruptcy attorney.’  Here is why.“Many, if not most, bankruptcy courts will require the discharged creditors to pay the consumer very little compensation for the aggravation that the creditors constant calls and letters continue to cause. The TCPA, however, provides that once the borrower revokes consent (i.e, tells the caller ‘stop calling’) the caller is liable for $500 per call and, if the violation is willful, an additional amount of up to $1,000 or, equivalently, $ 1,500 per call.”Going into bankruptcy is never going to be fun. But if you’ve exhausted every other option, it can be the beginning of a brand new start. To learn more about how you can improve your financial situation moving forward, check out these other posts and articles from OppLoans:Building Your Financial Life: Budgeting for Beginners10 Good Money Habits to Make Your Friends JealousThe Debt Snowball Method Can Help You Get out of DebtNeed Cash Fast? Try These 10 Great Side HustlesDo you have a   personal finance question youd like us to answer? Let us know! You can find us  on  Facebook  and  Twitter.  |  InstagramContributorsAuthor and Accredited Financial Counselor ®, Todd R. Christensen, MIM, MA, is Education Manager at  Money Fit by DRS, Inc . (@MoneyFitbyDRS), a nationwide nonprofit financial wellness and credit counseling agency. Todd develops educational programs and produces materials that teach personal financial skills and responsibilities to all ages. Having facilitated nearly two thousand workshops since 2004 on the fundamentals of effective money management, he based his first book, Everyday Money for Everyday People (2014), on the discussions, tips, stories and ideas shared by the tens of thousands of individuals and couples in attendance.Donald E. Petersen  is an Orlando, Florida trial lawyer who represents consumers against companies who violate their rights under the  Telephone Consumer Protection Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act,  Fair Credit Reporting Act and other consumer protection laws.Leslie H. Tayne, Esq.  (@LeslieHTayneEsq) has nearly 20 years’ experience in the practice area of consumer and business financial debt-related services. Leslie is the founder and head attorney at  Tayne Law Gro up  (@taynelawgroup), which specializes in debt relief.

Essay about Mass Media Sociology - 4896 Words

The mass media has become a big part of our society and its counterparts. In a time span of 50 years this medium has influenced society to an extent where it has created wonders. This immaculate tool can control almost every action we perform, from speaking to the actions that every human being performs in society. The mass media has brought upon a new era of ideas and changes in the world we live in. As we analysis media in depth we will find many aspects of media which overlap and some of the smallest factors and aspects of media, which create the biggest impact on society. Our main objective is to explore the mass medias effects on society and see how the media has affected out way of life. Not to mention, compare the life styles of†¦show more content†¦A ponderous medium of media is video games in co-relation to violence. Video games encourage violent behavior in children as they are at a crucial stage of adaptation. Society as a whole has been immensely effected by the social realm. In the fashion world, it is media that creates the trends and genres of different types of clothes. This is seen as an identity. The fashion world markets their clothes to society thru the media. Using various sources such as, television, internet, newspaper and magazines. However there is a dark side to this industry. Todays society faces controversy about womens body figured. Size zero has become a behemoth fad in the modeling world. The size zero topic has caused a revolution, women around the world trying to enter the modeling industry are now harming their bodies in countless ways in order to achieve the ideal body. Women today face a lot of criticism about their appearances due to the superficial ideology created by the media. This has brought a lot of criticism from feminist around the world who state that women have died from starvation only to model. Todays world has stereotypes formed from various forms of media. Stereotypes have been created ethnicities and cultures. As growing individuals we see distinct relations between the two. When we see a certain ethnicity portrayed in a particular way we judgments tend to be formed enforce them on that particular ethnicity. Eventually manyShow MoreRelatedAgents Of Socialisation : The Mass Media1120 Words   |  5 PagesAgents of Socialisation : The Mass Media In the present day, the media is incorporated into our daily lives. Every day, through newspapers, radio, television, email, the internet and social media, are we sucked into an electronic world, which changes many of our beliefs and values about how we live our lives. It plays such a large role in almost every person’s life compared to 50 years ago, when the internet did not exist. It effects things such as our political views, tastes in music, views of menRead MoreThe Field Of Sociology Is An Old But Ever Changing Systematic Study Of Human Behavior1579 Words   |  7 Pagesfield of sociology is an old but ever changing systematic study of human behaviour in a social context. Within the field of sociology, in order to create a contextual understanding of the influences that create society in which we live theories are employed to explain the forces that shape our social world. Such theories are essential in explaining emerging social phenomena such as pornification (Furze et al, 2015). Pornification of the social world has become a significant mass media issue of whichRead MoreMedia s Effect On Society1496 Words   |  6 PagesMedia presents us with many types of negative messages. Mass media tells us how we should look and behave in society. Adds in the media sell more than product they are selling an image. 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How far is it true that the media is responsible for trivialising death and violence, thus causing the children of America to go outRead MoreKnowledge Gap1307 Words   |  6 Pagestopic â€Å"Knowledge Gap between Generations Based on Media Exposure.† What is knowledge gap? It was first introduced by 3 researchers of University of Minnesota that is Phillip J. Tichenor,  Associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication,  George A. Donohue,  Professor of Sociology and  Clarice, and N. Olien, Instructor in Sociology in 1970. Based on the title of the research, it can be defined as the gap of the information obtained by exposed media for the past generation and the generation nowadaysRead MoreEssay about Trial by Media1445 Words   |  6 PagesTrial by Media With 27 million newspapers bought and 99 percent of the adult population watching an average of 2 ½ hours of television every day, the British Media (mass media) has a massive audience. 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Mass media, including T.V, Radio stations, newspaper has taken over the minds of people in society. According to Glen Smith and Kathleen Searles, Most assumption are being based off of what they see and hear on the television, social networks and on the radio because its mainly one s ide stories or one bashing of individuals. People do not take the time to go in-depth about the situation being inaccurately displayed at times. Sociologist is beginning to realize the effect of mass media has onRead MoreGender Portrayal Of The Media813 Words   |  4 PagesGender Portrayal in Media Media; â€Å"The main means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and the Internet) regarded collectively† Oxford dictionary. In recent years a rising issue of media gender portrayal has been massively looked at from a sociological perspective. Everything and every picture has been depicted in this primarily visual age. There’s a giant number of visual information going through our conscious and subconscious daily at a fast pace. A lot of different point of viewsRead More Media and Society Essay519 Words   |  3 Pages Media and Society Does society influence media or does media influence society? In a modern world, dependent on continuous communication this is a very important question. If the world were not dependent on communication over large distances, schooling on a mass basis would not be possible or necessary. Most knowledge in traditional cultures was local knowledge, (Geertz 1983) traditions that were passed on through a local community, a very slow and long drawn out

The Rise And Fall Of Enron - 1900 Words

The Rise and Fall of Enron One of the most basic tenets of all companies, whether small or large, is to create a principled corporate culture. Those ethical principles must start with the executives of the organization and trickle down to the individual employees. Leaders affect the employees’ decision-making process, yet they tend to adopt the same rationale as their leaders when reaching a decision. The leadership of a company needs to find a balance between risk and creating opportunity. While generating revenue and growth are paramount, at most, organizations, executives set the tone regarding what actions and behaviors are acceptable to achieve these objectives. This paper will explore what happened to Enron when its leadership†¦show more content†¦Jeffrey Skilling was hired by Lay in 1990 after working in a consulting capacity for three years. Skilling served in leadership roles within various Enron subsidiaries before becoming president and chief operating officer at Enron in 1997. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Enron for nine months in 2001 before resigning from the company for personal reasons. Skilling hired Andrew Fastow in 1990 because he was familiar with energy marketplace deregulation. Fastow worked in numerous capacities at Enron before ultimately being named Chief Financial Officer in 1998 and served in that position until the Securities and Exchange Commission commenced an investigation into irregularities in the company’s behavior. Under the leadership of Skilling and the prowess of Fastow, in the 1990s, Enron altered its accounting method and starting using mark-to-market accounting. Mark-to-market accounting permitted Enron to add anticipated profits from a new project to their balance sheet without the project generating revenue. If the real profit proved to be lower than expected, Enron would transfer the loss to a special-purpose entity. The special-purpose entities created a way for the losses to go unreported. Under Fastow’s direction, Enron devised a way to write off losses without affecting the core business and stock value. Due to these practices, Enron’s balance sheet overstated earnings and understated their liabilities.

Love Is a Fallacy Free Essays

LOVE IS A FALLACY LOVE is one of the reason why good things is present in this life. Its significance to human is inevitable that its absence may cause the world in great jeopardy. It is the greatest gift of GOD and no amount of wealth could ever compensate its value. We will write a custom essay sample on Love Is a Fallacy or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is one of the reason why the many races and cultures of this world can blend in peace, order, unity, harmony and the likes. God himself being the author of the most profound act of love that amount to the coming of HIS most precious SON to redeem and reconcile the world to HIM. However, these truths doesn’t suite to the message of the story because the orientation of the Author is guided by the principles of logic which falls out rightly to the counterpart. In this story, LOVE is a fallacy in the mind of the writer because of its personality that is influenced by the principles of logic. Defining love in a very superficial sense that simply conforms to the requirement of the flesh. But what is really the meaning of LOVE to us? All wants to love and to be loved. We are loved since we came into this world. Our parents raised us up by their love. Provided for our basic needs, devoted their lives with us and there always in great or troubled situations. If we are not brought in the love it is simple not possible to express love to others. Love is vital in any relationship. But some situations in life that we happen to witness confused us what love really is. There are people love based on material considerations, wherein they believed that the presence of material blessedness defines certainty of their future. They put so much consideration this aspect, that equality in ability or status provides a promising journey of happy relationship. And this idea still a norm in this present day. Others base on physical attributes, wherein they consider inner beauty is of lesser significance. Some uses different perspective, they wanted a person who has an excellent mind ability, considering the fact that being intelligent will give a certainty for a better future. In the long run once they fail to their expectations both will be in a great mess. With this examples mentioned above I agree that Love is a fallacy if we conform to the principle and ideals of the writer. Love makes things wonderful. It is profound feeling that we felt towards our love ones, it is not force or change or dictated by others. Even the most painful circumstances of life could not be able to dwindle or will to love and to be loved. Love starts in us before we can share it to others. We often express it in many ways through our caring, understanding to others. Its should express mutually never should be force by any of life circumstances like physical attributes, status, ability, wealth, influence and the things that are superficial that can only define of satisfy the requirements of the sinful flesh. CORINTHIANS 13:4-8 *** Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails*** How to cite Love Is a Fallacy, Essay examples

Related Text For Belonging free essay sample

Proposal for a Related Text Looking for Alibrandi is a good example of expanding on the theme of belonging. Jose is a confused girl who is searching to find where she belongs in her two different cultures and trying to find a balance of both. Jose being a bastard reflects how she does not feel she belongs in her family, as her nonna has always blamed Joses mother, Christina for her birth. A quote that proves this is Nonna says where lucky to be included, because were cursed we don’t really belong. Joses father is not in the picture leaving Christina as a single parent which is frowned upon in society. At school she is put down through racist remarks about her culture and about not having a father figure. At St Marthas it’s all about money, prestige and what your father does for a living. We will write a custom essay sample on Related Text For Belonging or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These are all reasons why Looking for Alibrandi is a good related belonging text. Looking for Alibrandi is a good example of expanding on the theme of belonging. Jose is a confused girl who is searching to find where she belongs in her two different cultures and trying to find a balance of both. Jose being a bastard reflects how she does not feel she belongs in her family, as her nonna has always blamed Joses mother, Christina for her birth. A quote that proves this is Nonna says where lucky to be included, because were cursed we don’t really belong. Joses father is not in the picture leaving Christina as a single parent which is frowned upon in society. At school she is put down through racist remarks about her culture and about not having a father figure. At St Marthas it’s all about money, prestige and what your father does for a living. These are all reasons why Looking for Alibrandi is a good related belonging text. Looking for Alibrandi is a good example of expanding on the theme of belonging. Jose is a confused girl who is searching to find where she belongs in her two different cultures and trying to find a balance of both. Jose being a bastard reflects how she does not feel she belongs in her family, as her nonna has always blamed Joses mother, Christina for her birth. A quote that proves this is Nonna says where lucky to be included, because were cursed we don’t really belong. Joses father is not in the picture leaving Christina as a single parent which is frowned upon in society. At school she is put down through racist remarks about her culture and about not having a father figure. At St Marthas it’s all about money, prestige and what your father does for a living. These are all reasons why Looking for Alibrandi is a good related belonging text. Looking for Alibrandi is a good example of expanding on the theme of belonging. Jose is a confused girl who is searching to find where she belongs in her two different cultures and trying to find a balance of both. Jose being a bastard reflects how she does not feel she belongs in her family, as her nonna has always blamed Joses mother, Christina for her birth. A quote that proves this is Nonna says where lucky to be included, because were cursed we don’t really belong. Joses father is not in the picture leaving Christina as a single parent which is frowned upon in society. At school she is put down through racist remarks about her culture and about not having a father figure. At St Marthas it’s all about money, prestige and what your father does for a living. These are all reasons why Looking for Alibrandi is a good related belonging text.

How to Teach Reported Speech to Students

How to Teach Reported Speech to Students Teaching students reported or indirect speech can be complicated by the all the changes that are required when moving from direct speech into reported speech. First off, students should understand that reported speech is quite useful in conversational English as relating what someone has said using quote and unquote is awkward at best. A further aspect of reported speech is encouraging students to use other reporting verbs beyond say and tell. Introducing the Concept to Students Start with Tenses Start with simple examples in which changes are only made in tense. For example: Write on the Board: Direct Speech Tom said, I enjoy watching action movies.becomes Indirect Speech Tom said he enjoyed watching action movies. Direct Speech Anna told me, I went to the shopping mall.becomes Indirect Speech Anna told me she had gone to the shopping mall. Move on to Pronouns and Time Expressions Once students have understood the basic concept of stepping one step back into the past when reporting in the past, they can easily begin to make the minor changes in pronoun and time expression usage. For example: Write on the Board: Direct Speech The teacher said, Were working on the present continuous today.becomes Indirect Speech The teacher said we were working on the present continuous that day. Direct Speech Anna told me, My brother Tom has been to Paris twice this year.becomes Indirect Speech Anna told me her brother Tom had been to Paris twice that year. Practice Provide students with a chart of the principal changes in reported speech (i.e. will - would, present perfect - past perfect, etc.). Ask students to practice the reported speech by beginning with a reported speech worksheet  or by asking them to change sentences from direct to reported speech. Once students have become comfortable with direct to indirect speech transformations, practice reporting through the use of interviews as in this reported speech lesson plan.As students become familiar with the reported speech, introduce a wider range of reporting verbs to help students move post say and tell. Advanced Issues Once the basics have been understood, there are a few more advanced issues to discuss. Here is a quick outline of some of the more problematic aspects of the reported speech that students might find confusing. Reporting Tense: Says instead of Said - Sometimes, in the moment of speaking a speaker may use the present tense to report what has been said. In this case, there is no change in the tense. However, changes in pronouns apply. For example:Teacher: Were going to work on the reported speech. Please turn to page 121 in your book.Student 1: I cant understand. What are we supposed to do?Student 2: The teacher says we are going to work on the reported speech on page 121.Tom: I think this is a great idea!Peter: Andy, I didnt understand.Andy: Tom tells us he thinks its a good idea.Other Reporting Verbs: Advise / Instruct / Etc. Infinitive of Purpose - A number of reporting verbs use the infinitive of purpose to express the idea, rather than using a transition of the tense. For example:Teacher: Were going to work on the reported speech. Please turn to page 121 in your book.Student 1: I cant understand. What are we supposed to do?Student 2: The teacher instructed us to work on reported speech and turn to page 121.Teacher: I think you should hurry up and finish the activity.Student 1: I didnt understand.Student 2: The teacher advised us to hurry up and finish the activity.

The Great Barrier Reef - Worlds Largest Reef System

The Great Barrier Reef - Worlds Largest Reef System Australias Great Barrier Reef is considered to be the worlds largest reef system. It is made up of over 2,900 individual reefs, 900 islands and covers an area of 133,000 square miles (344,400 sq km). It is also one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is the worlds biggest structure made out of living species. The Great Barrier Reef is also unique in that it is the only living organism that can be seen from space. Geography of the Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is located in the Coral Sea. It is off the northeast coast of Australias state of Queensland. The reef itself stretches over 1,600 miles (2,600 km) and most of it is between 9 and 93 miles (15 and 150 km) from shore. In places the reef is up to 40 miles (65 km) wide. The reef also includes Murray Island. Geographically, the Great Barrier Reef stretches from Torres Strait in the north to the area between Lady Elliot and Fraser Islands in the south. Much of the Great Barrier Reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It covers over 1,800 miles (3,000 km) of the reef and runs along Queenslands coast near the town of Bundaberg. Geology of the Great Barrier Reef The geologic formation of the Great Barrier Reef is long and complex. Coral reefs began forming in the region about between 58 and 48 million years ago when the Coral Sea Basin formed. However, once the Australian continent moved to its present location, sea levels began to change and coral reefs started to grow quickly, but changing climate and sea levels after that caused them to grow and decline in cycles. This is because coral reefs need certain sea temperatures and levels of sunlight to grow. Today, scientists believe that complete coral reef structures where todays Great Barrier Reef is were formed 600,000 years ago. This reef died off however due to climate change and changing sea levels. Todays reef began to form about 20,000 years ago when it started growth on the remains of the older reef. This due to the fact that the Last Glacial Maximum ended around this time and during glaciation sea level was much lower than it is today. Following the end of the last glaciation about 20,000 years ago, sea level continued to rise and as it got higher, the coral reefs grew on the hills being flooded on the coastal plain. 13,000 years ago sea level was almost where it is today and the reefs began to grow around off the coast of Australia islands. As these islands became further submerged with rising sea levels, the coral reefs grew over them to form the reef system present today. The current Great Barrier Reef structure is about 6,000 to 8,000 years old. Biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef Today the Great Barrier Reef is considered a World Heritage Site due to its unique size, structure and high levels of biodiversity. Many of the species living in the reef are endangered and some are endemic only to that reef system. The Great Barrier Reef has 30 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises. In addition, six species of endangered sea turtles breed in the reef and two green sea turtle species have genetically distinct populations in the north and south of the reef. The turtles are attracted to the area due to the 15 species of sea grass that grow in the reef. Within the Great Barrier Reef itself, there are also a number of microscopic organisms, different mollusks and fish that inhabit spaces inside the coral. 5,000 species of mollusk are on the reef as are nine species of seahorses and 1,500 species of fish, including the clownfish. The reef is composed of 400 species of coral. The areas closer to land and on the islands of the Great Barrier Reef are biodiverse as well. These places are home to 215 bird species (some of which are seabirds and some of which are shorebirds). The islands within the Great Barrier Reef are also home to over 2,000 types of plants. Although the Great Barrier Reef is home to many charismatic species like those previously mentioned, it should also be noted that a variety of very dangerous species inhabit the reef or areas near it as well. For example, saltwater crocodiles live in the mangrove swamps and salt marshes near the reef and a variety of sharks and stingrays live within the reef. In addition, 17 species of sea snake (most of which are venomous) live on the reef and jellyfish, including the deadly box jellyfish, also inhabit nearby waters. Human Uses and Environmental Threats of the Great Barrier Reef Due to its extreme biodiversity, the Great Barrier Reef is a popular tourist destination and around two million people visit it per year. Scuba diving and tours via small boats and aircraft are the most popular activities on the reef. Since it is a fragile habitat, tourism of the Great Barrier Reef is highly managed and sometimes operated as ecotourism. All ships, aircraft and others that want to access the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park need to have a permit. Despite these protective measures, however, the Great Barrier Reefs health is still threatened due to climate change, pollution, fishing, and invasive species. Climate change and rising sea temperatures are considered the greatest threats to the reef because coral is a fragile species that needs water to be about 77ËšF to 84ËšF (25ËšC to 29ËšC) to survive. Recently there have been episodes of coral bleaching due to higher temperatures. To learn more about the Great Barrier Reef, visit National Geographics Great Barrier Reef interactive website and the Australian governments webpage on the Great Barrier Reef.