Can Sweden's cherished 'right to roam' survive in 2020?

[Celerity]

https://www.thelocal.se/20200305/allemansratten-can-swedens-cherished-right-to-roam-survive

Freedom to discover Swedish nature and to be able to enjoy being outdoors. That's at the core of 'allemansrätten', a unique right which grants everyone equal rights to Swedish nature. But how sustainable can it be in the face of changes in tourism, outdoor recreation, and lifestyle?

"Allemansrätten (The Right to Public Access) is of really great importance for Sweden. It is the foundation of outdoor activities for each and every Swede," says Nils Hallberg, a legal adviser at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket).

"You're welcome to go almost everywhere you want. It's one of those bits and pieces on an international scale that defines Swedes and Sweden." Yet the Swedes have partly lost their connection with nature over recent decades, he says. According to the urban development agency of the European Union, 85 percent of the Swedish population today live in towns and cities. "As in many other parts of the world we see an urbanization trend going on," notes Hallberg.

"People are moving to the larger cities. For Sweden these areas are Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. You can meet people who are born and raised within the city limits of Stockholm that have never been outside the paved roads. That part of the population is less connected to nature these days." "But then we also have a strong trend around friluftsliv [literally 'outdoor lifestyle']. It's based on the belief that you should live a sound life, that you activate yourself, work out a lot, eat healthily and be healthy. It makes people want to go out in nature."

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[dawg day]

1. They have "public footpaths" in the UK,

where the public is allowed to walk through farm fields and open land. I can just imagine how that would go over in the US... no "public footpath" friendly signs, but "No Trespassing" and a mean guy with a shotgun....

[Karadeniz]

2. I was just going to say that! We loved hiking through the countryside on them!

[Amishman]

3. That's not true at all

I live near the horseshoe trail, a hiking trail from valley forge to Harrisburg, about 50 miles long. It exists due to the accommodating spirit of the land owners on its route. There are almost no formal easements requiring the land owners to permit access.