Husqvarna has launched a feature designed to help rewilding private properties.
Rewilding Mode automatically leaves 10% of any lawn unmowed, making room for a meadow that can support bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. In the U.S., lawns cover an estimated 49,000 square miles of America, which is about the size of Louisiana.
“With Rewilding Mode, we want to help change the perception of what a perfect lawn looks like," says Jonas Willaredt, vice president of sustainability affairs at Husqvarna. "We believe setting aside 10% of any garden for a meadow is a fair start, as we need to make some space for bees and other insects. Most of the lawn can still be kept short for play and socialization, but even a seemingly small effort like 10% of private garden can make a big difference to help preserve biodiversity."
This new feature makes it easy for users as it automatically sets aside 10% of their garden for a rewilding zone. With the help of satellites that measure the size of the garden, the robotic mower app calculates an area that corresponds to this percentage as a starting point. Users can then choose to place the rewilding zone where they think it fits best, as well as make the zone larger.
“This may not be our most advanced feature so far, but it may be our most important one," says Patrik Jägenstedt, the innovations director at Husqvarna. "Many of us working in product innovation are passionate about biodiversity and believe that technology has a role to play in this context. We hope that the rest of the robotic lawncare industry will follow suit, and introduce Rewilding Mode into their products, too."
The feature is available for Automower robotic mower models 405X, 415X and 435X AWD as well as NERA models 430X NERA, and 450X NERA that are installed with boundary wire. There are currently about 150,000 Husqvarna robotic mowers worldwide that support the new feature.
