Freedom to Roam Is 'Every Man's Right" in Sweden

Freedom to Roam Is 'Every Man's Right" in Sweden
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Freedom to Roam Is 'Every Man's Right" in Sweden

Freedom to Roam Is 'Every Man's Right" in Sweden

Some countries have easier measures when it comes to camping permissions and roaming in private lands. However, in Sweden, the right to roam is protected by the law. Known as "Allemansrätten", the right to roam in Sweden allows all citizens to wander freely in nature, even in private properties. This means people can head to a vast forest for camping around fire, searching for food, swimming, or taking a boat ride in one of many lakes and rivers, the German News Agency reported.

While many other European countries such as Scotland, Austria, and Switzerland ensure their citizens the freedom and right to roam in public, the Scandinavian laws are the most welcoming regulations for wanderers. Yet, there are actually some rules! In Sweden, people are allowed to set fires in forests as long as they use the wood found on the ground, and act responsibly. However, they are not allowed to break or cut tree branches, or write on their trunks unless they are private property and their owners don't mind it.

In natural reserves and national parks featuring preserved species of animals or plants, stricter rules may be applied when it comes to horse riding or setting fires, for instance. In these places, picking mushrooms, berries, and walnuts is forbidden.

In Sweden, fishing is allowed for everyone and without an official license. Carl Undéhn from the tourism platform "Visit Sweden" said "People can fish in almost all major lakes including Vättern, Vänern, Mälaren, Storsjön, and Hjälmaren."

As per small internal lakes, fishing lovers would need a license known as "Fiskekort." Vacationers can buy a one-day license from gas stations, hotels, or via special websites for around 50 to 100 Swedish krona (5 to 10 dollars). Weekly and annual tickets are also available.

People who might need some guidance can attend survival courses that would teach them about food sources and campfires in forests.



Eel-eating Japan Opposes EU Call for More Protection

People on bicycles cross a street under the hot sun in Tokyo on June 20, 2025. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)
People on bicycles cross a street under the hot sun in Tokyo on June 20, 2025. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)
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Eel-eating Japan Opposes EU Call for More Protection

People on bicycles cross a street under the hot sun in Tokyo on June 20, 2025. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)
People on bicycles cross a street under the hot sun in Tokyo on June 20, 2025. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)

Japan's agriculture minister said Friday the country would oppose any call by the European Union to add eels to an endangered species list that would limit trade in them.

Eel is eaten worldwide but is particularly popular in Japan, where it is called "unagi" and traditionally served grilled after being covered in a sticky-sweet sauce.

Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters that the country carefully manages stock levels of the Japanese eel in cooperation with neighboring China, Taiwan and South Korea.

"There is a sufficient population, and it faces no extinction risk due to international trade," AFP quoted him as saying.

Japanese media have reported that the EU could soon propose that all eel species be added to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which limits trade of protected animals.

There are 19 species and subspecies of eel, many of them now threatened due to a range of factors including pollution and overfishing.

In 2014, the Japanese eel was listed as endangered, but not critically endangered, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which cited factors including habitat loss, overfishing, pollution and migration barriers.

Protecting the animal is complicated by their complex life cycle, which unfolds over a vast area, and the many unknowns about how they reproduce.